My First Day Off in 14 Years
by MurderingxMyxTeddyxBear
Summary: Max and the rest of the flock have a nice,uneventful day. Or, at least, as uneventful as a day can be for a bird kid. Join in on the adventure, the drama, the romance. And no, this is not a soap opera. It's Max Ride! Rated T for some language and kissing.
1. Ready Set No Go?

A/N: Hi... Yeah, this is my first fanfic so... if it sucks feel free to tell me. Oh...just to let ya know...I'm under the influence of cold medicen. I am not responsible for anything I say or do while on meds. Just thought I'd tell you that so no one thinks I'm psycho or anything... *Nervous Laugh*...

**Disclaimer**!: I do not own any of the Maximum Ride Characters. Though I would buy Fang for a reasonable amount of money. Does anyone know if Walmart stocks him? Anyway... Here it goes.

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**Chapter 1: Ready...Set...No Go?**

**Max's POV: **

Crack! My head whipped up, my eyes still cloudy with sleep. My newly aquired watch read 4:37 A.M. I groaned at the terrible hour mother nature had chosen to wake me. Crack! That sound again?! I scrambled to my feet, looking frantically around me, at the innocent bystanders. Fortunately the "innocent bystanders" were the trees. We were in the middle of frickin' nowhere! The nearest McDonald's was something like 75 miles away! And when you're a mutant bird kid who needs a minimum of 3,000 calories a day...not having a place where you can get two or three bigmacs and a couple M&M McFlurries is not good. My flock was fast asleep. Angel was curled up in a tree, Total and Celest nestled in beside her. Nudge was stretched out peacefully on her back on a long branch of the same tree. Iggy and Gazzy leaned against eachother for support at the bottom. And Fang was leaning back against-- Wait! Fang wasn't sitting up against the big rock to my left like he'd been when I'd drifted off to dreamland! (Which by the way had been _very_ awkward...The whole thing was Fang and Lissa frenching in a hottub. The end was okay though. Jack the Ripper came in and began chasing her with an ax.) But...back to reality. Where the krill had Fang gone?! I went over and began feeling my way around the boulder, knowing he had the tendancy to disappear if he sat too still for too long. I was swatting around when I heard another crack directly behind me and nearly shot throught the treetops. (Which could've actually happened.)

"Max? What are you doing? Have you gone blind too?" I didn't need to turn around to figure out who it was. I'd know that voice anywhwere. Fang... My heart was still beating irregularly fast from being interrupted from my little episode. But I quickly regained controll of my thoughts.

"Jesus Christ, Fang! Don't sneak up on me like that! And where have you been?! You had watch! You can't just wander off like that! What if Erasers had attacked? We would've all been killed! How could you--"

"Hey, calm down." Fang said, interrupting my rant. "I only went out there 'cause I thought I heard something. I went to go check it out."

"Well...you should've woken me up!" I said, looking for excuses. I didn't like being told I was overreacting. "It could've been a diversion. How could you be so stupid?!" I could fell the tension from the past few days seeping into my words. And they were directed at my best friend... Fang could tell I was starting to loose it.

"I couldn't wake you. You looked so calm. And for the past few days...that emotion has been nonexsistant for you." He grabbed my shoulder and steered me towards my designated sleeping space. I slumped down, trying to relax. We'd been on the run since forever, but in the last few days, we'd had at least eight eraser attacks, and I was spent. My breathing was uneven, my hair was a mess, my eyes were bloodshot from lack of sleep. I probably looked like some sort of rabid animal. Not that my wings helped that rabid animal theory or anything. Fang looked down at me and sighed. I must have looked exhausted , because he offered to take watch for me. "Go back to sleep, Max." he said. "And try not to freak out over every little thing." I glared at him before rolling over and squeezing my eyes shut. I heard Fang walk away and before I knew it, I drifted of...

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"Max?! Max, I'm hungry!" I groaned loudly. I knew Max's happy time couldn't last long. I glanced at my watch...5:30. Wow that was a super long nap! (Sarcasm there, if you didn't catch that, folks.) Max! I--"

"I'm coming! I'm coming." Jeesh! The kids were pushy today. I was stiff and sleepy as I stumbled my way towards Nudge's tree. I imagined myself looking something like Iggy on drugs.

"Max! You're finally up! I thought you'd never wake up! I mean...hello?! I'm starving here! And there you are, conked out in la la land. I want eggs, and pancakes, and orange juice. Oh! And waffles, strawberries--"

"Nudge?! I hate to break it to you, but...we're in the woods. Bugs, dirt, and rocks are on the breakfast menu."

"Yeah...about that." she continued. "I think we should, like, take a day or two off, and just kick back and relax. We could fly into town, and rent a movie... Oooh! How about Highschool Musical 3?! That's supposed to be good... We could get popcorn, and candy, and soda. My favorite's Cherry Coke. Do you like Cherry Coke? Igggy likes--"

"Nudge! Can you just shut up for, like, fieve seconds?! You are being so frustrating right now!" Nudge looked slightly hurt by my outburst. She clamped her mouth shut, sharply.

"Well..." she said rather scornfully, " Somebody woke up on the wrong side of the bed...tree...whatever."

"I'm sorry Nudge." I sighed appologetically. " I just...could'nt get to sleep last night. Now, what were you saying about waffles?" Nudge smiled, and happily continued the re-telling of her breakfast fantasy. And before I knew it, everyone was up, complaining about how hungry they were.

"Aww, Max! I'm soooo hungry!" groaned Gazzy. "Listen to my stomache! It sounds like Chewbacca!" I rolled my eyes. Yes, Gazzy had seen the Star Wars movies. It was back when we were at my mom's house. I'd been a little nervous about Iggy and Gazzy getting ideas about light sabers, but Ella had announced that it was un-American for us not to have seen it. Hence the Chewbacca comment.

"Yeah, Max. Can we please go into town? Me and Celest are starving!"

"I think it's a good idea.." said Iggy. I could see where this was going. They would all turn against me, and force me to do whatever it was they were planning. They may be cute, but their demon children, I tell ya! Demon children!

"I don't know guys..." I said, a war going on inside me. Part of me wanted to relax in town, but the other part was worried about erasers and flyboys, and stuff.

" I say, let's take a vote!" said Iggy, always the political one. "All in favor of going into town for a day off, raise your hand!" Every single hand and one paw shot into the air, with the exception of mine and Fang's.

"Ha ha!" said Gazzy. "Majority rules!" I groaned. There would probably be a movie based on today. Except...instead of being a fun-filled comedy, this one would be an action adventure horror. And there was no way I was singing "Twist and Shout" on a parade float. I'd seen that movie at Ella's as well. She's, like, in love with 80's movies, or something. They all looked at me expectantly. I looked over at Fang, who gave me an It's-all-up-to-you look. And I gave him a Thanks-so-much-for-the-help look. (And if you did'nt catch that sarcasm, you need to see a doctor, or something.) He just shrugged his shoulders. Ugh! Typical Fang... I sighed, exasperated.

"I...guess...we could...go into town for a little bit..." I said, slowly.

"Yes!" everyone shouted.

"A little bit! A little bit!" I shouted, trying to calm them. They were still celebrating their victory of sorts when the rustling started. Me, Iggy, and Fang reacted immediatly, jumping in front of the kids. I took a fighting stance, and the others followed. I glanced at Iggy out of the corner of my eye, trying not to take my sight off the direction the rustling was coming from. He appeared to be concentrating on the noise.

"Whatever it is...it's huge." he whispered to us. I braced myself even more (if that's possible) and prepared to launch myself at our attacker(s). More rustling occurred. It was definetly closer. Braches were breaking, deep breathing could be heard, a huge shadow loomed before the bushes! I braced myself bravely, waiting for the worst. And then.... A cute squirrel emerged from the bushes. I dropped my stance in confusion.

"What the hell?" exclaimed Fang. I didn't even bother to tell him to watch his language. I was too surprised. Iggy looked confused.

"But...I'm never wrong..." he murmered mostly to himself. We all started to relax. Gazzy even started to giggle a little. Then Angel. Soon we were all giggling at the tiny little squirrel that had scared us. Suddenly, a giant foot emerged from the bushes and crushed the little squirrel. My jaw nearly hit the forest floor. Even Fang looked shocked. Because, that giant foot was attached to a skyscraper of a robot. It stood at least ten feet tall with flame throwers for arms. It's eyes glowed green and menacing.

"I am Omega II." it said in a robotic, monotone voice. "I have been sent to destroy you."

"No! We thought you were selling Girl Scout cookies!" I shouted.

"Darn...we sure were looking forward to those Thin Mints!" Iggy continued. Suddenly the giant raised his arms, ready to fire. "Aww crap...man, I'm soooo sorry! We never really thought you were a Girl Scout! Honest!" Iggy begged. Omega II seemed more preoccupied with blasting us to smithereens than apologies. His arms lit up with flame and started to smoke. His eyes glowed greener and he cackled evily. And then....he exploded. Nope...you read that right. He exploded... I was so surprised, I didn't even think about diving for cover. Someone grabbed my arm, and I tumbled to the forest floor, all the while being showered with robot parts.

"What the he--" I was cut off by a coughing fit that was occurring behind me. I turned my head. Fang was kneeling on the ground, coughing his guts out, his eyes watering. I tried to ask if he was okay, but couldn't find my voice. He seemed to get the message, though.

"I'm...fine..." he said between coughs. As the dust cleared, I could make out all the members of the flock. Iggy was sitting by Gazzy who was lying on the ground, but moving, thankfully. Nudge was helping Angel up, and I could see Total's nose poking out from under some shrubs.

"Report!" I cried urgently. I had a strange sense of Deja Vu. (I wonder why...)

"Fine!" called Iggy. "Gazzy's okay too."

"We're alright!" Angel and Nudge said in unison. I nodded. Aside from the usual bumps and bruises that came along with an attempted attack from a ten foot robot, everyone seemed to be okay. Total crawled out from under the bushes and began to shake himself off.

" I'm getting really tired of stuff blowing up." he said dejectedly. I frowned at the wreckage around us.

" I don't know if town is such a good idea, guys." I said.

"No, no, Max! We're fine!" Nudge jumped up. " I wanna go so bad!"

"Please, Max?" Angle pouted, giving me the bambi eyes. Damn those cute little eyes. Whoever created that look deserves a special spot in hell. Those eyes melted me inside. Me and bambi eyes are like the wicked witch of the west and water.

"Well...I suppose." I said. "But if something goes wrong, we head straight out!"

"Of course." said Nudge as the others cheered. "But we have to see a movie! And get breakfast at Denny's! I want those little pancakes with the--" I blocked out the next couple minutes of chatter. My mind was on the subject of making us so vulnerable. I sighed. I was really stressed. Maybe I did need a day off. I brushed the last of the robot rubble out of my hair and turned to face my flock.

"Who wants Denny's?"

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A/N: Wow...that was a long chapter... So I'm gonna make this short and sweet. Review peoples. Review. Review, and I shall give you all baskets filled with cookies and cakes. Er...well...I'll give you a cookie. Okay...I can't give you anything. But, you can imagine me giving you baskets of treats. So reivew...and **IMAGINE...**


	2. The Denny's Waitress of Doom

A/N: Yo! This chapter will have a bit more action in it than the last. So...prepare yourself for the suspense, and try not to wet yourself. I'm not sure if you can sue for that, but I'd rather not find out. Yeah...I know I promised faxness (or mangness, if you prefer), but...it's the first chapters peoples! I can't just have Max and Fang suddenly start tounge kissing! Imagine how that would make me look. Like a real slut, right? Anyway...on with the story.

**Disclaimer!: **If I was James Patterson, would I be writing a disclaimer? No. So, I do not own the Maxiumum Ride characters...yet...

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**Chapter 2: The Denny's Waitress of Doom**

**Max POV: **

There is nothing worse than burnt toast in the morning. This is exactly the reason we were, at this moment, walking into the air-conditioned, breakfast kingdom of Denny's. For, should I have cooked breakfast, there would have been enough burnt toast to fill this restaurant to the ceiling. We were seated immediatly, thank God, by a pretty waitres with none other than red hair. She picked at her neon puple nail polish while she took our drink orders. I caught Fang eyeing her up once or twice, but I guess it could've been worse. But, still, what a pig! At least the waitress didn't seem interested. Although, I swear I saw her give Angel elevator eyes, like, four times! I've never been to a Denny's before. I didn't know it was that kind of place... Eeww, eww,eww....

"Uh...Max?" Iggy's voice brought me out of my reverie. "Are ya gonna order or what?" I blushed. I hadn't noticed the waitress had come back to take our orders.

"I'll just have the...uh...breakfast platter, the french toast, and some blueberry pancakes, please." Her eyebrows rose as she assesed all the food we were ordering.

"I'll be right back with your buffet...I mean...breakfasts." Her cheeks turned red as she hurried away.

"So...what do you guys wanna do after this?" asked Nudge, an impossibly short sentence for her. Iggy shrugged, Gazzy was too busy gulping down his coke, and Angel was deep in thought. Whose thoughts, I didn't know. And Fang was...well... Fang was Fang. "I think we should see a movie." Nudge continued. "Something good..." She pondered for a litlle while, but if she started speaking again, I didn't hear her. I was too busy staring at Angel who was obviously trying to pry something from the clutches of someone's mind. (Aren't I the poetic one, today...) Her face was scrunched in concentration, her hands clenching a napkin as she delved deeper into the endless pool of thoughts surrounding her. (Man! I am on fire! I should write some of this down somewhere...) Just then, the look of realization crashed down onto her face, replacing the concentration. Eyes wide, mouth opened in an "o" shape, hands limp. I was about to ask what was wrong when a waitress came back with our food. This one was different. She had had short, dark hair, green eyes, and a smattering of freckles across her nose and cheeks. A second waitress with blonde, curly hair and grey eyes stood behind her with the other trays of food.

"Here ya go." said the dark haired waitress. She smiled, flashing a set of perfect pearly whites. Her nametag read **Hally C**. I looked over at Fang. He was practically drooling. When the waitresses weren't looking, I smacked him upside the head. He turned to me, looking incredibly P.O.'d.

"Pig." I snarled with much distaste.

"Well...Maximum Ride called me a pig again." he said, a smirk playing at his lips. "You think she'd have come up with something a bit more original by now."

"Oh...I'll give you something a bit more original you--" I was cut short of my smart mouth comment as maple syrup splattered my face.

"Oops..." said the blondie, who had set down my platter of french toast with a little too much force. "Sorry." Her nametag read **Julie S**. I began wiping the syrup off my face and stuck my tounge out at Fang, whose smirk had turned into a full fledged smile. To tell you the truth, these waitresses really weren't very good at what they were doing. Half of Iggy's food was in his lap and blondie had just knocked over Nudge's glass.

"Max..." Angel whispered nervously.

"Just a minute, Ang." I said, for I was preoccupied with getting the syrup out of my hair and making sure the Sprite on the table didn't touch my french toast. Nobody touches somebody else's french toast. It's just wrong.

"Max..." Angel said again.

"Hold on, sweetie." The ketchup bottle had tipped over and was now dripping into Fang's lap. (A little payback after the syrup incident!) She continued persistenly, grabbing my arm. "What is it, Angel?" I said as I grabbed a piece of french toast and sunk my teeth into it.

"Max! Don't eat that!" she screamed, slapping the piece from my hand. I swallowed my bite, and just stared.

"Problem with your food?" the waitress named Hally asked sweetly.

"Um...no she's just..." I said in confusion.

"Max...do not eat that." Angel's thoughts rushed into my head. "Max, she's from the school. She did something to our food. She put something in it. We have to get out of here." I groaned. Why does the world always pick one day to try to exterminate our existance? And if you can answer that question, try this one: Why today?! Angel's presence left me. (Which feels like someone's vaccuming your brain.) The waitress smiled sweetly, concern etched into her angular features. The flock was looking at me like I'd suddenly jumped on the table and announced that I was getting married to Al Roker the next day. (Yes...birdkids do get to watch the weather every now and again. Though, the last time I'd seen it, we were going to get several inches of snow, an ice storm, and the temp was negative 30 degrees. It is now sunny, with a temp of at least 100. Wow...it's been a long time.)

"On second thought..." I said, trying to form a plan as quickly as possible. "I...uh...think we'll take this to go. So...if you could get us the bill please?" The waitress frowned.

"Is there something wrong?" she asked.

"Well...we...um...have a...er...bus to catch. Don't wanna be late!"

"Are you sure there isn't something wrong?" asked blondie.

"Positive...bill, please." I said, tensing with every word I spoke.

"I could get you something if you need--"

"I need the effing bill, lady!" People all around the restaurant were staring now, forkfulls of food halfway to their mouths. Angel zoomed into my head again, startling me.

"Max, Fang want's to know what's going on."

"Just tell him to help me get the heck outta here. Tell him...the waitress wants to kill us!" She zoomed out again. God! That feels weird! Glancing over at Fang, he nodded, looking calm. Then...without warning, he shot across the table, tackling Hally at the waist. The two of them crashed into the table behind them, knocking it backwards. The rolled off the ramp they had created with the table and began to wrestle on the floor. People stared, wide eyed. The other waitress, who I guess was in on the scheme too, proceeded to drag Fang of her friend and throw him into an elderly couple's booth. Their drinks spilled over and the woman shrieked in fright. Before Fang could stand, blondie kicked him in the back and the table lurched again, earning another scream from the woman. Ooh...he'd get her for that. Fang jumped around, making contact with the waitress' legs. She stumbled backwards. In her state of confusion, he gave her a nice punch, up thrusting her nose. Eww... She staggered, but regained her balance and began to fight again. Hally was being tackled by the younger ones, and I was eager to help kick butt. Fang gave little Julie a roundhouse kick right in the chest, and she stumbled back into someone else's table. The people shot out of their seats and ran like heck. Julie did a backwards somersault off the tipping table, and rolled to her feet. By now, people were running for the exits, screaming bloody murder. Even the staff was making a run for it! Julie was mad, now. She jumped the table and gave that boy a workout! I jumped in to assist Fang, and got a few well placed punches in various parts of my body. Finally, she gave Fang a good, hard punch in the nose, and he staggered backwards, tripping over a cart filled with silverwear and dishes. Nice, Fang...nice. The waitress prepared to pounce on him, but before she could, I grabbed her arm and spun her around. Then I slapped her, hard. Right across the face. "Back off...bitch!" I shouted before slamming her into a wall and throwing her down to the ground. Then I slid a table right into her, pinning her to the wall. She made no effort to escape, as she was unconscious. The others had Hally pretty well under control, but I wanted to end things quickly and jet. I grabbed a plate and smashed it on the back of her head. She dropped like a brick. Fang was up, now, making his way towards the rest of us. Suddenly, I felt woosy. Like, seriously woosy. I felt like I'd just drank a bottle of wine. "What the heck? I didn't get hit that hard." I murmured.

"Think, Maximum..." Oh great, the voice. Way to chime in now instead of when I really need you...awesome timing.

"Hello, voice... Would you mind telling me why I feel like I've just returned from a college party?"

"Think, Max, think..."

"I can't!" I cried outloud.

"Max?" This time it was Fang who spoke. He walked over and placed a hand on my shoulder to steady me, as I was swaying slightly. Then, the voice chimed in.

"Maximum...The french toast. Angel said the waitress put something in the food. You ate a piece of the french toast." It made sense now...

"Please tell me it's not poison...please tell me it's not poison..." I murmered pathetically.

"Tell you what's not poison?" Fang asked. "Max?"

"The..." I couldn't form the last word. "T-T-Toast..." And then...I collapsed

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A/N: Haha! Cliff hanger! Well...you probably hate me right now. If you do...good for you. I'm not a very likeable person. Or am I? Huh...there are a few things I did not disclaim in this chapter and possibly the chapter previous. So...I'm making up for it....

**Another Disclaimer**!: I do not own, McDonalds, Denny's, Sprite, Coke, or anything else I might have missed. I mean... you can figure that out for yourselves right? Like I obviously wouldn't own Campbells soup, right? Right... Anyway... REVIEW!


	3. I am Legend, Hotels, and Dirty Polotics

A/N: Haha...I've gotten, like, two reviews. Pathetic, right? Oh well...at least both of them were positive. Except one of 'um just asked me where their cookie was. LOL. Oh no...what if my story is so bad, people don't even get to the point where they can review. They just fall asleep from boredom! *Bites Nails Nervously* You guys are giving me nightmares!

**Disclaimer!: **I...am a girl. James Patterson...is of the male variety. I...am a teenager. James Patterson...is a middle aged guy. Therefore, I do not own any of the Maximum Ride characters. Or any other book characters, for that matter. List of other stuff I do not own, but wish I did: The white house, (Then I could paint it black) A goldfish with braces, Starbucks, (I know I shouldn't stoop that low, but it's just so damn good!) bacon flavored floss, (It actually exists.) and a fireproof suit. (I need this for...certain nights...when I'm all alone...)

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**Chapter 3: I am Legend, Best Western, and Dirty Polotics**

**Max's POV**

I remember,dimly, the sensation of being lifted off the ground, and hearing faint screams mashed into the backround noise. Everything after that is pretty shady. I don't know how many thoughts ran through my head in the seconds of conciousness after I collapsed, but I do know only one thought was running through my head now, as I stirred slightly from my med-induced unconciousness. "WTF had just happened?!" That's when more thoughts bombarded my brain. "Is the flock okay?", "Did we make it out?", "Where am I?!" I wondered if I was dying. I could hear voices. They sounded peaceful and glorious, and glorious and peaceful. My head was spinning with the sound of their immaculate chourus. I could almost see the light! And...then I heard the voices a little more clearly. What had at first sounded like angels beckoning to me in their state of divine glory, now sounded something more like... "I've got a crush on Obama! Barak Obama!" Okay...scratch that whole immaculate thing. I finally managed to drag my eyelids open. The first thing I saw was a pair of bright, blue eyes staring back at me. I jerked forward out of defense habit, and knocked whoever it was in the forehead with my forehead. I tumbled off whatever it was they had me laid out on, was waitless for a fraction of a second, and then crashed to the floor with a huge THUNK! I tried scrambling to my feet, but was terribly dizzy halfway up.

"Sorry..." said Gazzy as he hurried over to help me up. I brushed him off, but leaned heavily against the dresser next to me. I was about to ask where we were, when a very excited Angel burst through the door, Nudge at her heels.

"Max!" they both cried, and hurried forward to hug me. While Angel pressed her cheek against my stomache, I looked around at the others. Total sat at the edge of the bed, and Gazzy was slumped on the couch, watching me. The rest of my flock was nowhere in sight.

"Where are the older kids?" I asked, my voice scratchy. I tried to clear my throat, but ended up sounding like a dying cat. Oh well...

"Right here!" called a voice. Iggy strolled into the room, a huge grin on his face. "Nice nap, Maxie?" he asked. Fang trailed in behind him, his eyes on me.

"You can't be that happy just to see me back on my feet, now, can you, Iggy?" He smiled in my direction.

"Though I am happy to find that you have successfully recovered, no, you are not the only reason for my happiness. You see, I've just beaten dear Fnick, here, at a game of air-hockey, and earned myself another five bucks." He smiled ear to ear.

"What have I told you about making unreasonable bets, Fang?" I said in a mock scolding tone.

"It's not unreasonable..." he said, "He's blind." Fang shrugged.

"Sight isn't everything, my brother. You see, I can sense the direction from which the puck's coming from by--"

"Can it, Ig." Interrupted Fang. I surveyed the room. Beds with way too many pillows for there own good, ugly, pastel wall paper, thick, light-blocking curtains hanging to the floor. This had to be a hotel room.

"Where are we?" I asked, sitting back on the couch, still weak kneed.

"Best Western." replied Gazzy, getting up to turn the volume of the t.v. up. Obama girl was already blasting out the speakers. I was sure that the neighbors didn't want to here another story about scantily-clad singers falling in love with middle aged presidential candidates. There seem to be a lot of those stories in the news right now...

"When do we leave?" I asked casually.

"Tomorrow." replied Total. "Today, we spend the night in paradise."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa...I thought we had a deal." I said, my eyes narrowing. " If anything went wrong, we'd head straight out! And unless you don't consider being attacked by a kung-fu Denny's waitress a problem, I'd say something went wrong!"

"Sorry that me and Fang couldn't carry you 400 miles, Max." Iggy said sarcastically. "We'd 've had to stop eventually, anyways."

"Let's stay, Max! Please? We've already got our two rooms!" cried Angel.

"Yeah! We got movie stuff and everything! Oh! And I need to get some new clothes and stuff too! Speaking of new...did you know they've got a new Ben and Jerry's flavor out? I just saw the commercial, like, five minutes ago!" You can guess who that was. Only one person in the universe can start a sentence with movie stuff, and end with Ben and Jerry's. Uh oh! Angel was working the bambi eyes to her advantage.

"No! I won't give in!" I cried in my mind. "You're stronger than that, Max! I know you are!" I took another look at Angel. "Okay...you're not." I sighed. I was such a softy. Angel smiled, pleased. Little demon...

"What movie?" I asked, quietly.

"Something called... I am Legend." said Iggy.

"What's it about?"

"Some guy who's, like, the last guy on Earth or something, except for his dog. And people come to get him, or something. It was cheap in the movie selection, and it reminded me of us, so I picked it up." Iggy continued, shrugging.

"I...guess it sounds alright." I said, sinking back into the couch.

"Does that mean we can stay?!" asked Gazzy excitedly. I pondered for a moment.

"For now..." I said. The little kids cheered. I even caught Fang smiling a bit. He came to sit next to me as Iggy popped the disk into the DVD player that was provided. Gazzy dimmed the lights, and Angel dished out some potatoe chips 'cause we didn't have any popcorn. Nudge dialed up room service for lunch in a little while. Then, everyone settled back to watch the movie. As the opening credits started, Fang put his hand on my shoulder.

"You okay?" he whispered so only I could hear. I nodded. He stretched his arm out across the back of the couch and propped his feet up on the coffee table in front of us. The movie was good, but I was a little worried about whether it would scare Angel or Nudge, or even Gazzy.

Angel must have been reading my mind 'cause she leaned in and whispered to me, "We're fine, Max. Just sit back and enjoy the movie." She smiled in encouragment. I thanked her and turned back to the movie. Fang looked at me questioningly. He was probably wondering what Angle was talking about.

"Just wondering if the movie was too much for the younger kids. This stuff can be kinda scary for kids their age." In the movie, the main charater (Played by an actor I know I've seen somewhere before. I just can't remember where!) was wandering around in a house or something, dramatic music playing in the background. Suddenly, a zombie poopped out at him! I know I totally should've seen that coming (what with the dramatic music and all) but it scared the living crap out of me. I shot up about two feet in the air and accidentally landed practically on Fang. Like, I was basically in his lap! At first he was tense, but then he started to chuckle.

"Yeah, Max...Wouldn't want the movie to scare the kids." His arms were starting to snake around my waist. I scooted off quickly, 'cause it was kinda awkward. My face was probably red, and he probably noticed.

He smirked and leaned in, whispering, "Want me to hold your hand?" I rolled my eyes. "I'm not kidding..." he said. I just ignored him, but apparently he really wansn't, 'cause his his hand grasped mine for the entire rest of the movie. I let him... After all....friends can hold their friend's hands. Right?

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A/N: Oooh...what was that? Was that... Fax? (This is the part where you all oooh and ahhh.) This is a fairly long chapter, I think, so be happy peoples. 'Cause...it might be a little bit till my next post. (This is the part where you all sob relentlessly.) Because...unlike some people I know... *cough*, *cough*, *nudge*, *nudge*... I have a life outside of the interent. I know...shocking, isn't it? But, I do. So...just apologizing in advance. Yes...Max probably would've known to check the rating on the movie. But...let's just pretend she was still a litlle buzzed from the toast, kay? Review and I shall send you all maps to the promise land...in your dreams. I know...I'm amazing, right? (I'd advise you not to disagree with me...)

P.S. Does anyone else always imagine Total speaking with a Mexican accent? I know I do. It just sorta...clicked for him, ya know?


	4. What Would I do Without You?

A/N: Hello...I got bored with my so called "outside life" and decided I wanted to keep writing more! Yay! So anyway...I got alot more reviews. Okay....not alot more...but more than I originally got. And, I really appreciate your input. So...three cheers for my reviewers (however few of you there are) *Raises Imaginary Glass 'Cause I'm Too Lazy to Get a Real One* I also got a review requesting more Fax. And I shall be glad to follow up on that request. This chapter contains more fax. It's a little cheesy but....c'mon....that's what ya love about it! Now on with the story!

**Disclaimer!: **Why do I even bother?! You all know I don't own Maximum Ride!

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**Chapter 4: What Would I do Without You? **

**Max POV **

"Done!" I yelled as I walked out of the bathroom, squeaky clean and spoting a clean t-shirt for once, too. The flock was getting settled in. All the girls were taking turns getting showers. The boys had said they'd do the same, but...judging from the lack of running water in their room, I'd say they somehow made their way down to the hotel arcade....again. Nudge shot past me, running faster than a person with asthma after one of Gazzy's...er...episodes. She slammed the door behind her, shaking the bed. Wow! That girl really wanted to shower!

"Max?" Angle lay curled up on one of our two beds, Celest tucked securely under her arm. Total had wandered off with the boys. I turned to face her to show I was listening, as I ran a brush through my soaked hair. "Do you think we could do something outside the hotel today?" she asked. I turned away so that I did'nt have to face the awesome power of the bambi eyes.

"Well...let's get settled in and see how everyone's feeling,okay?"

"Okay." she agreed and rolled over to cuddle up with Celest. I guess she was kinda tired 'cause about two seconds later she was snoring like a bulldozer on steroids. I sighed, content, and walked over to the couch to sit. With everything beginning to fall into place, I leaned back into the couch and closed my eyes, propping my feet up on the coffee table. Man...that felt good. And to think...normal people do this sorta thing everyday. One could get used to this....

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Nearly half an hour later, Nudge was out of the shower, primped and ready to go, along with everyone else. The boys had wandered back into their room about fifteen minutes ago, and were just hanging out, doing stupid guy stuff like having belching contests and skimming through provided magazines for "hot chicks". I'm not even gonna say anything about that... I was to busy imagining myself on a tropical beach with the flock, my mom, and Ella, sampling all the fruit smoothies layed out on a table of gold. I know that's never gonna happen, but...hey, a girl can dream! Suddenly, Gazzy burst into the room, a frantic expression on his face. I jumped up. My first thought was, "What's wrong?!" Had someone died, gone missing, kidnapped by an evil leprechaun. (Maybe I was still a little woosy from the french toast incident.)

"Max!" he exclaimed. "Something's gone terribly wrong!" Yep! Definitely an evil leprechaun! "It's Fang!" My heart skipped a beat, my breathing stopped. My mind shut down for a minute. "I think he's hurt! I think--I think it might be his experation date! Me and Ig left the room for, like, a second, and when we came back...he was---oh it was awful!" Then, it hit me. This was really happening! My heart kicked into overdrive, my breathing picked up, and my mind started racing through possibilities. I lunged towards the door connecting our two rooms.

"Nudge!" I cried. "Go get a first aid kit from somewhere!" Her head peeked around the corner. "Where's Angel?!" I asked, frantic.

"Vending machine, I think. Why--"

"Just...please! Do what I ask! I'll explain later!" She looked confused, but nodded and ran out of the room. I swung the door open and shot into the other room. My first thought was, "Holy crap! It smells like tomatoes in here!" It smelled like they had eaten about a thousand pizzas. My second thought was, "Holy (Insert Swearword of Your Choice Here)!" Fang was sprawled on the floor, a pool of dark red surrounding him. My stomache lurched into my throat. It was...blood. His blood. I rushed forward. "Where's Iggy?!" I cried, kneeling down next to Fang. He lay perfectly still, his breathing shallow. A trickle of blood ran from his mouth. Gazzy didn't answer. "Where's Iggy?!" I yelled again, looking for an actual response.

"I--I don't know! I'll go...find him!" Gazzy's voice sounded strained. Probably from stress.

"Fang...Fang..." I murmered pathetically. "Oh, don't die! Please don't die!" I was yelling pretty loudly by now. But I really didn't care. The neighbors probably thought we were all psycho anyway. "Fang! You're not gonna die! You hear me?! You're not going to die! I need you!" I could feel tears stinging behind my eyes. I tried to hold them in, but one or two spilled over. My mind was in lock down. I couldn't think, couldn't do anything! For the first time in my life, I felt totally and completely helpless. (Well...not the first time, but you know what I mean.) It was like the beach all over again! A few more tears were escaping. I was running out of strength to contain them. I shook him, felt his forehead, took his pulse. I knew I should try to stop the bleeding, but I couldn't seem to function correctly. I shook him harder. "God, Fang! Please! Just say my name, open your eyes! Do something!" Where was Iggy? He'd know what to do! I stroked back Fang's hair. "Fang, please..." I whispered. "What would I do without you?" I leaned in slowly, not sure of what I was going to do. But then... I placed my lips gently onto his. For a second, I thought I felt him tense, but a second later he was limp again. His lips were still warm, which was a good sign. Some of the blood from his mouth smeared onto my lip. Without thinking, I licked it off when I pulled away. I was about to spit it out when I noticed something. You know how blood tastes all irony and rusty and stuff? Well, Fang's blood didn't taste anything like that. In fact, it was almost sweet. And very familiar. I daringly dipped a finger into the red on the floor and sniffed. It smelled like the entire room did. Like spaghetti sauce... I popped my finger into my mouth. It was tomatoe sauce! WTF?! Suddenly, someone burst out laughing right behind me. "What the hell?!" I exclaimed loudly. I whirled around. Iggy and gGazzy were practically rolling around on the floor, a suspicious looking video camera in Iggy's hand. I looked back at Fang's lifeless--Oh wait...Fang's body wasn't so lifeless anymore. He was sitting up. And smiling too! Oh! The nerve of him! (Sorry if I sounded like an elderly English woman there. I'm very angry at present. So angry, my quick wit is a little slow.)

"You should've...seen the look...on your face!" Gazzy said, trying to keep his laughter under control and failing miserably.

"Priceless!" exclaimed Iggy. Fang hopped to his feet, grinning and offering me his hand, as I was still kneeling. I felt my eyes go hard and dark. My face set into a look of cold rage. I saw his smile fade as he caught my expression. Gazzy and Iggy were starting to quiet a little bit.

"Whew! That was hilarious!" cried Gazzy.

"Yeah, man! That may have been our best work ever!" Iggy chuckled. They slapped eachother a high five.

"Ummm...guys?" Fang tried to interrupt.

"I thought she would've caught on sooner than that." Iggy continued. The two of them looked over at me and grinned.

"Do you know..." I began, my voice cold and venemous. "How I felt? I thought Fang was hurt. Dying. And knowing that I could lose him just ripped me apart on the inside. You both knew what that sort of stuff does to me. But no...you had to go and pull some stupid, childish, and all together immature prank on me. I am done!" I was shaking with rage by now. Everyone was quiet, no one was smiling any more.

"Max, listen--" Fang started, but I turned on him too.

"Don't say it!" I shouted. "Don't you even say it! Did you even think...for a second...what this stupid prank would do to me?!"

"Look Max..." he continued. "We were only trying to get a few laughs, not make you cry."

"A few laughs." I scoffed. "A few laughs? Well, you got your few laughs! Happy now?!"

"Please don't get all offensive, Max." he said urgently.

"Well, I'm sorry if I don't find the concept of your death to be exactly what you'd call 'hilarious'" Angry tears were starting to spill over now. I harshly wiped them from my eyes. I was about to stalk out of the room when I whirled around and did something I'd never intentionally done before. I punched my best friend. Right in the nose. He looked totally taken aback by my reaction.

"What happened to all that 'What would I do without you' stuff?!" he asked. clutching his nose.

"Ha! You wanna know what I'd do without you, Fang? Well...I'll tell you one thing. I'd cry a whole lot less! I hate you!" And with that, I stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind me. They didn't follow. I'd never gotten mad at them like that before. Ever... I needed to get out of here. Now! I grabbed a jacket and made my way over to the suite's window. I threw it open and breathed in the fresh air.

"Max?" a tiny voice piped up behind me. I hadn't even noticed she was there. I didn't turn around. "We heard you shouting. Where are you going?" I didn't say anything for a long time.

"Out..." I finally whispered. "Just out."

"Are you coming back?" Her voice was so pitiful, it made me want to cry again. I fought the urge.

"Yes..." No matter how angry I got, I would never ever leave the flock. That's just not something you do when you're the leader. When she didn't say anything else, I climbed up onto the sill and launched myself into the warm air. Before I got too far away, I glanced back. I didn't like what I saw. I soared away, trying to push the picture from my mind. It was no use...it was stuck. Looking around, I realized where I was. I was in the sky. My home... Then why did I feel so lost and far apart from something that I couldn't explain. I was suddenly struck with the raw emotion of love. The realization crashed through me, and I realized that I simply couldn't live without my flock. I don't know what I'd do without any of them. I loved them too much to ever truly hate them. But, being my prideful self, I didn't want to go back. So I flew farther away from my home and my family, trying to push that picture out of my mind. That horrible image of Angel, tears pouring down her face, her hair rustling in the wind from the opened window, Celest dangling, lifeless, by her side.

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A/N: Wow...Max was pissed! Jeese! You see what's funny is, I was in a perfectly good mood before writing this, but now I'm kinda P.O.'d myself. I think I'm just really getting into it or something, which is kind of sad if you think about it. Is my outside life so boring that I have to get my emotions from writing fanfiction?! Oh the horror! Anyways...I'm not entirely sure about this chapter. I was sort of having writer's block, and suddenly it just...oh this is gonna sound so cliche...came to me. Well, I hope you liked the Fax... And... oh! I had this really great idea for a super faxy chapter coming up. And it's so awesome. But...you're just gonna have to wait to find out what it is. I'm going to update super quick, 'cause I wanna get to the fax chapter. I'm excited to write it. Another thanks to my reviewers. I love you guys!


	5. Revenge Author's Note

A/N: Okay...hi. Alright, after what the guys did to Max (ya know the fake death thing?)...well, I got a review requesting some sweet revenge. But, I have absolutely no idea what it is exactly I'm going to do. So, I'm asking you, my wonderful reviewers, to give me some ideas for different ways to get revenge on Fang, Iggy, and Gazzy. Try to be creative and look for something you could do to the person that would really bother him. Like their pet peeve or something. Please help me out or I won't be able to update!


	6. Ice Cream and Forgiveness

A/N: Hola... Yeah...I wanted to write another chapter. I'm bored so yeah... Oh yeah! School's out so I'm very happy. And...oh I've got nothing else to say... On with the story.

**Disclaimer!:** Okay...I'm just not James Patterson. Don't ask me why, I'm just not. The next time I turn into a middle-aged best selling author, I'll let ya know...kay?

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**Chapter 5: It's Amazing How an Ice Cream Sundae Can Make It Easier to Forgive Someone **

**Max's POV **

Flying... I can't remember the last time it felt this good to soar over everything. To feel like the king of the sky. Knowing you can see for miles on end. The epitome of freedom. I let that feeling drown out my anger and sadness. Or, at the very least, numb it. I flew for a good fifteen minutes. Loopty-loops, figure eights, back flips mid-air style. Finally, I decided I'd better get back on the ground. The area I was flying in wasn't exactly scarcely populated. Quite the opposite in fact. Ugh...I could be so stupid when I was mad. I didn't really want to go back to the hotel, though, so instead I landed in a small woods and walked another ten minutes into town. When I emerged from the trees, I found myself on main street. It was lined with small shops, and since I had time to waste, I figured I might as well waste it here. My eyes scanned the signs for each store as I walked more into town. A BBQ joint, tattoo shop, bookstore, psychic readings place, Dairy Queen, a sports store-- Ooh...Dairy Queen. A chocolate cone sounded immensly delicious right about now. I was beginning to get what all those girl magazines I'd flipped through at Ella's meant about chocolate filling the cracks of the heart. Or something like that... I pushed the door open and a little bell tinkled to announce my entrance. It was cold in here, but refreshing. The line was super long, so I decided to grab a booth first. I listened to other people order, trying to decide myself. That annoying little bell kept tinkling, though, and made it hard to concentrate. I hate noises like that. Suddenly, I heard a voice that sounded very familiar.

"One ice cream sundae please, and...can I get two spoons?" Could it really be who I thought it was? No...there was no way... But, sure enough, about two minutes later someone slid into the seat across from me. I didn't look up. He slid the ice cream sundae towards the middle of the table and set a spoon down by my hand. I sighed and looked up...Straight into the green eyes of my old friend, Sam. He smiled slightly at me. "You looked sad. I thought sharing an ice cream sundae with me might cheer you up. Correct me if I'm wrong." I shook my head.

"No, it's fine, Sam. What are you doing here anyways?" I said, sounding slightly less than interested.

"What? Do you want me to leave?" He said, looking a little offended. I shook my head again.

"No...I was just wondering. I haven't seen you since...well...you know." My words tripped over eachother as I remembered why I hadn't been able to say goodbye to Sam. "You aren't...well...an eraser are you?" I asked quietly.

"A what?!" He looked totally surprised by my question, but I couldn't tell if he was faking it or not.

"You know...one of those half human half wolf things?" I prompted.

"You mean like a wearwolf?" he questioned, confused.

"Well...yeah...sort of, I guess."

"You're asking me if I'm a wearwolf? He asked skeptically.

"No! Well...yeah...sort of." I answered meekly. He shook his head.

"Max, you watch too much tv." He said.

"So you aren't, than? I can take that as a no?" He looked me right in the eye.

"Max Ride...I promise you...I am not a wearwolf, or a...uh...what did you call 'um again?"

"Erasers?" I provided.

"Erasers...I am not an eraser, Max. I promise." I nodded, satisfied with his answer, for the most part. I looked over at the sundae. Neither of us had touched it, and it was beginning to melt. I reached out and grabbed a spoonfull.

"So, what are you doing here, anyways?" I asked after I had swallowed my bite.

"Well, Max... I live here." he answered, grabbing a spoonful himself. I looked up in surprise. " We moved really recently. I live just down the block from here, and I decided to walk down to the Dairy Queen and grab something to eat." I nodded after a moment of silence. Must be nice...having a home and stuff. Then, I started to remember the reason I ws in town. I frowned and looked out the window, trying to forget about it. "Max?" I looked back at Sam. He looked confused. "What's wrong?" he asked, concern etched into his features. I shook my head. And then, he noticed something. "Hey...where's the rest of your...friends?" I looked away again. "Max? What happened to them? Are they okay?" I nodded.

"Yeah...they're okay. For the most part, anyways..." I was practically whispering.

"Max...What happened?" He sounded really concerned. It was nice to know at least someone was worried about my feelings. "Talk to me..." I was silent for a long time. No one touched the ice cream. I wasn't hungry anymore. Sam didn't say anything either. I appreciated it. Finally, I spoke up.

"I...got in a fight. With...some of the flock." I said. He nodded for a second, but then looked confused.

"Wait...did you just say flock?" he asked. I mentally slapped myself for the slip up.

"Great, Max..." I thought. "You might as well just wear a sign that says 'I'm a Bird Kid!'"

"Max? Did you say flock?" he asked again. I sat still. Should I just tell him? He already knows about the erasers. And he probably knows something's up. "Max?"

"Sam...I--you know how a little while ago...we...er...had to leave really suddenly?" I said, avoiding looking him straight in the eye. He nodded for me to continue. "And, ya know how I didn't want to go anywhere near you when we left?" He nodded again, but his facial expression grew slightly bitter as though he didn't want to remember. "Well...I'm sorry about that. But, I thought you were an eraser. I thought you wanted to capture me." I looked down under the booth at my feet, ashamed for thinking such a thing.

"Max...how could you ever think that I would want to hurt you in any way? You know I wouldn't do that." he said, sounding a little hurt.

"I know that now, but when you're getting chased by about twenty or so erasers, you tend to have a problem trusting anyone. Especially someone who looks like their teeth are growing about an inch a minute. You really did look like you were about to morph!" I wanted so badly for him to understand. If he couldn't understand this, he'd never be able to understand the whole bird kid thing.

"Max...I'm not, nor have I ever been, one of your eraser things." he was starting to plead with me. "I don't know why I looked like an eraser...maybe it was puberty, or something--" I snorted.

"Oh yeah...'cause puberty makes you look like a wolfman." I stated, sacastically.

"Well...you get my point. I'm not an eraser, Max. I promise." I nodded, looking back at him, hoping he wasn't too angry with me. We sat there for a little while. Finally, he took on a questioning look. "Max?" he asked quietly. I looked up at him, inviting him to continue. "Why do those things follow you around anyways?" I thought for a moment, trying to figure out how to explain. Finally I spoke.

"Those things...the erasers...were created at a special science lab we call the school." I looked at him to see if he was keeping up with the story. He nodded in encouragement. " The school especially likes to combine animal DNA with human DNA. The erasers just so happen to be part wolf DNA, part human DNA." I stopped so he could take the information in.

"That's sick..." he muttered after a moment of silence.

"It's very sick. But...that's not all they do. They've mixed human DNA with dog DNA, monkey DNA, all sorts of DNA. They've even done...bird DNA." I got quiet for a minute, trying to figure out how to break the news. "I--Sam--Me...and the rest of my friends...well...we're the kids they mixed bird DNA with. I'm a bird kid...they all are." We were both quiet. No one said anything. Sam just stared and stared at me. I was afraid I had scared him. Maybe he thought I was dangerous. Or maybe he was angry with me for not telling him the last time we had been together. The tension was thick and the silence, strained.

"Yes! I knew it!" he finally shouted. My jaw dropped. "I knew there was something different about you, Max! I knew it!" I was shocked. Out of all the emotions I had considered him having, it had been happiness? How can you be overjoyed when you find out the girl you used to date is part bird?!

"You mean...you're not scared,or---or angry, or anything?!" I asked in total surprise.

"I'm not gonna pretend it's not wierd, Max. It is...It's extremely weird. But...I'm also not gonna pretend I didn't see this coming." he stated pleasantly.

"What do you mean?" I was surprised that he had 'seen it coming'.

"Well...you kinda flew away from school. That's a little bit of a dead give away. I just wasn't sure...ya know...how you aquired...wings." I blushed at my own stupidity. Of course! It was kind of hard not to wonder what was going on when your 'girlfriend' flys out a window. We sat for a minute. "Well...now that that's all cleared up...what were you saying about having a fight with your...er...flock thing." I laughed a little at his attempt to say flock so lightheartedly.

"Oh...we just kinda got in a little...okay...a huge fight about a certain prank. Now that I think about it, it was probably kind of stupid." My voice trailed off. I didn't really want to talk about it.

"What was the prank?" he questioned.

"Well...it was a fake death thing. I know it sounds dumb! Like it should've been really obvious. But, these guys are good. Trust me..."

"How did you feel?" he asked. This was beginning to sound like a therapy session.

"Well...I was angry. Duh!" I stated. "Really angry...I punched my bestfriend. That was an awful thing for me to do..." He nodded understandingly. "I just...I told him I hate him. And I don't...I really don't. The opposite, in fact. I love all of my flock. But I feel like a complete bitch for what I did."

"Max...don't beat youself up. People do stupid stuff when they're mad." he said calmly. I shook my head.

"I still feel awful...what should I do, Sam. It tears me apart to know that the last thing I may have ever said to my best friend was I hate you! We could die any minute. I don't want him to remember me like that!" I was starting to shout a little, getting frantic like I do when I'm really nervous.

"Max...can I ask you something?" he asked quietly. I nodded. "Do you love him?" The question was impossibly simple, but also terribly hard to answer.

"Well, of course. I love every single one of my flock." I answered easily, with only a hint of nervousness in my voice. I knew that wasn't the real question.

"No...I mean do you really love him? A lot..." he pressed. I blushed a deep red color and looked down. He waited patiently for my answer.

"I--I don't know, Sam. I really don't know..." I was anxious to get off the subject.

"Well," he started, "do you love him at least a little bit?"

"I--I think I might. I--like I said, I really don't know." I was getting flustered. I didn't like all this mushy talk stuff. Especially with someone I hadn't seen or heard from in months.

"Well...I think if you love someone...even as a family member, you should always forgive him. Go back to wherever you came from, and tell him you don't hate him. You'll feel much better." he said wisely. I nodded and glanced at my watch.

"Oh crap! It's 1:30! Sam, I've gotta get back to the hotel! It was nice seeing you!" I started to get up, but he grabbed my wrist, pulling me back down.

"Max, can I ask you one more question?" he asked, looking a little nervous.

"Sure..but make it quick, I've really gotta get back!"

"Max...did you...love me? At all?" he asked. His face was pathetic. He was almost as good at the bambi eyes as Angel was. I thought for a minute.

"Sam..I think you're a really nice guy, and you're super wonderful, and kind, and everything. But...no...I didn't love you, Sam." We were quiet.

"I've learned a lot today, Max." he began. "About you, about the school, about a lot of things. But you wanna know what the most important thing I learned today was?" I looked at him curiously. "I learned that if you love somone, it's important to forgive them. But it's even more important to let them go if they want to go." I could feel tears pricking the corners of my eyes.

"Sam, I may not love you, but I know there will be another girl who will. You're very loveable. And that other girl will be even more wonderful than me. And she'll love you back in a way I can't." I grabbed his hand and squeezed it. "Thank you for listening to me, Sam. It means a lot to me." I leaned in and kissed him lightly on the cheek. He looked dazed for a moment before getting his bearings back. I giggled. Poor Sam...

"Do you have a way home, or do you need a ride?" he asked, still slightly dazed. I stared at him pointedly, waiting for him to remember. The look of realization dawned on his face. "Oh...right...I forgot about that." He blushed, a little embarassed. I laughed again.

"It was nice seeing you again, Sam. I hope I'll get to see you again soon?" He nodded.

"Me too, Max. Me too..." I waved goodbye and began to walk towards the door. "Oh, Max?" I heard him call. I turned around. "Though it is important to forgive him...it may also be nice if you got a little revenge." He smirked. I laughed again. Then turned around and walked out of the store. It was time to go home, but not before picking up some stuff...

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A/N: Holy shiznap! That was a long chapter! Haha! You all thought it was gonna be Fang in the store! I thought it would be a nice surprise. Tell me if you saw that one coming! I just thought there should be some sort of fanfic where Max and Sam clear everything up. Again, I'm still looking for some ideas for sweet revenge on the guys! If you have any, please! Send 'um in! Anyway...I've figured out the fax chapter. But, the only way it's gonna fit into the story is if I put is as the last chapter... Sorry...I'll try to get to it soon. I've got at least three other chapters before the end, but one of 'um will be really short. But the other two are probably gonna run long. Oh well...you'll just have to wait. I've got it all mapped out in my head though...


	7. Reveng is Better Than Christmas

A/N: Hello...I'm so sorry! It's been, like, forever since I've updated, hasn't it?! We had to go to a waterpark over the weekend and to access the internet, you had to pay about a gazillion dollars! So I'm gonna update super fast to make it up to all you guys. I got some really great revenge ideas from my reviewers, so I just wanna thank all the people who submitted ideas and stuff. Thankyou! (Jeese...you'd think I'd won a frickin' Grammy or something, the way I keep thanking people!) Anyways, all you're ideas were really great, but I've decided to use only two of your ideas. One from 123-Cat-Cat-321 and the other from cnp97. Thank you for providing me with a story! Now...onto said story!

**Disclaimer!: **If I have to remind you one more time after this, I swear I will get agressive with you! But...I do not own Maximum Ride....There I said it...

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**Chapter 6: You Know What They Say...Revenge is Better Than Christmas **

**Max's POV **

Following up on Sam's wise words about the subject of revenge, I strolled out of the mall I had been occupying myself in, and out into the bright daylight. I know what you're thinking...Maximum Ride in a mall? Yeah right! But...I promise you...what I am about to do, is purely for revenge. Never, under any other circumstances, would I look to this sort of thing as a solution to my problems. But...desperate times call for desperate measures. With my heavy load of bags, it would be impossible for me to fly back to the hotel, so I hailed a taxi cab and climbed in. The drive was only about fifteen minutes, but I hated every second of it. It was humid and cramped, and the whole cab reeked of stale ciggarret smoke and sweat. It was disgusting. When the driver dropped me off in front of the hotel, I had to resist the urge to get down on my knees and kiss the sweet, sweet ground. I settled for a deep breath of fresh air. After tossing the driver, a wad of cash I'd saved up from doing chores at my mom's house, I quickly ran into the hotel lobby. I took the stairs two at a time, excited to get to work. When I reached my floor, I began the long walk to our room which was located all the way on the other side of the hall. One of my bad habits I've aquired over the years is listening in on other people's rooms at hotels and places. I know that's, like, illegal or something, but...there's not very many things about us that are legal. Being the demon that I am, I pressed my ear lightly to someone's door.

"Oh! Jimmy! Harder! Faster! Oh! Oh! Oh! Harder! JIMMY!" I pulled away quickly. Okay...maybe I better just head back to the room... When, I finally reached it, I could hear nothing behind the door. I picked the lock quickly from practice. Peeking my head in, I discovered that no one was in the room. They must have gone down to the pool or something. Glancing at the clock on the wall, I noticed it was already two o' clock. They could be back any second. I rushed into the bathroom to begin my work.

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**Fang's POV **

I sighed heavily. The little kids were splashing around in the water half heartedly, and Iggy sat beside me, touching a bottle of coke, naming red in as many ways as possible.

"Blood...rose...fire truck engine...hearts..." he muttered. It was becoming seriously annoying. I just wanted everything to be quiet. I wanted to be absolutely alone. No, that's not true. I wanted to be with Max. I wanted to tell her I was sorry. I wanted to hug her and beg her to forgive me. I wanted to-- Ugh! I've really gotta stop worrying about her. She's a big girl, she can take care of herself. But...what if something happened to her. What if that's why she hadn't come back yet. Oh! I wanted her to be right next to me so that I knew she would be safe. I wanted to hold her in my arms. (Not that I'd ever admit that...ever...) I could almost feel her warm skin. In fact...I could feel warm skin. Was I hallucinating? "Um...Fang? Can you please let go of me?" I opened my eyes, which I had shut while imagining Max next to me. I stared down. I had pulled Iggy into a giant bear hug unknowingly. I released him like a hot potatoe and slid back about ten feet. "Ummm...you okay man?" he asked a bit nervously.

"Yeah...fine." I muttered. I glanced at the clock on the wall. It read 2:17. I hopped up. "I think we should go back to the room." I muttered to Iggy. He nodded and called the kids over. Soon we were trailing towards our room. When we reached it, I noticed that the door stood slightly ajar. "Okay...who forgot to lock the door?" When no one answered, I sighed and pushed the door open. The lights were off, so I had to search a little bit to find the switch. When I found it, I got the shock of a lifetime. An INCREDIBLY hot girl was sitting on the bed. Her long stockinged legs were stretched out in front in front of her, her feet clad in black heels. A black dress that hardly covered her knees pooled around her on the bed. The neck of the dress dipped low, and a silver necklace hung down by her...uh...chest. My eyes got as big as saucers and I swear I must have started drooling. The girl smirked and blew me a kiss. My eyes got even wider. (If that's even possible.) She slid slowly onto her feet and began walking towards me. My eyes trailed up and down her body. I licked my lips unconciously.

"Hi..." she said, slightly seductively. Hold on...I knew that voice...I'd know it anywhere. I looked at her from head to toe again. No...it couldn't be. It just...couldn't. Could it?

"Max?" I whispered in slight astonishment. She nodded slightly, and just kept on staring at me. Oh my god... Damn...she looked good. Her hair was brushed and was just a little wavy. And she had done something to her face. Makeup, I think, 'cause she looked absolutely gorgeous. In a...sisterly way... "W--What hap--happened to you?" I stuttered. I mentally cursed myself for my own stupidity.

"Well...I felt really bad about what happened today. I blew things way out of proportion. I feel ashamed of the way I acted and...I'm going to change my ways. You guys obviously don't like it when I over-react, so I've decided I'm going to start acting more like a woman should. Starting now... What do you think?" she said this all in one breath. Maybe she'd been spending too much time with Nudge. I just couldn't comprehend what she was saying. I couldn't imagine Maximum Ride...my Maximum Ride...attempting to act more like a lady. The whole sentence sounded wrong and unfamiliar on my tounge, like trying to pronounce a foreign word and failing miserably. I just stared, open-mouthed at her like some sort of pervert. I cleared my throat, turning very slightly red. It was hardly ever that I blushed.

"Um...you look...wow..." What an idiot! I couldn't even get a whole sentence out. She smirked that seductive little grin at me again. It took all I had not to just pick her up and carry her into a closet. "So you're gonna...what?" I was still confused about what it was she was going to do.

"Well...I'm going to act more like people would expect a girl to act. And...I've realized...I've been too controlling over all of you. Too uptight. So...I'm resigning as leader. Fang...you're in charge." She said, very business like. My mouth dropped open for about the hundreth time that day. I'm sure I didn't hear her right. I must have water in my ears, or something. I shook my head.

"Wait, what?" I aksed, confused.

"Yeah." said Iggy. "What?!" Max looked at me and Iggy like we'd just announced we were dating. *Shudder*

"No...we don't get what you're saying. Iggy doesn't understand why you want to stop being leader."

"No... not that..." said Iggy suddenly. " I was just wondering why I don't get to be leader." I smacked him upside the head. Max giggled in a very girlish way. Not at all like her.

"Oh...Iggy...Fang's always been second in command. You know that..." She sounded so different when she talked like that. It was almost like talking to another person entirely. "So...I'm done. I don't want you guys to be annoyed with me, so I'm resigning as leader. Fang will be a better leader, anyways...." her voice trailed off. I shook my head. It'd been a long day. Not only had I been beaten, forced to carry a drugged Max to this hotel, and covered in ketchup, but i'd also been promoted. And Max looked...oh... I needed to go lie down and get an ice pack for my aching head. I trailed out of the room, my mouth still slightly agape.

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**Max's POV **

Fang walked out of the room in a daze, Iggy and Gazzy trailing behind him, stealing glances at me over their shoulders as they walked out. Even though Iggy can't see, I guess it's just a habit to try to look at someone when something happens. I had to fight to contain my giggles until they left the room. As soon as the door shut, I started to laugh very quietly. Nudge and Angel stared at me. Total must have slipped out with the boys, 'cause I couldn't see him anywhere. "Max? What happened to you?" asked Nudge slowly. I giggled a bit again. Then I waved my hand at them for the two little girls to come closer.

I leaned in and whispered, "Okay...I'll tell you what's going on. But...you've got to promise you won't tell the boys. Or Total, either." They both nodded eagerly, waiting for me to continue. "Okay...you know how the boys played a really mean prank on me?" I asked. They both nodded. "Well...I'm getting a little revenge on them. I haven't really resigned as leader, but they think I have. So, I'm leaving Fang in charge for a little while. Now...I want you to be very naughty until I tell them what's going on. That way, Fang will be so fed up with being leader, he'll be practically begging for me to help him." I was getting a wicked gleam in my eye, I could feel it. And, from the looks of Angel and Nudge, they were liking the plan as well. "So be extra bad, okay?" They both nodded again. "And don't tell anyone." After I was finished sharing my plot with my two minions, I figured it was time to launch the other mission. Annoying Iggy and Gazzy. I straightened up and walked over to the bag lying on the bathroom floor. I pulled two cans of Red Bull out.

"Oh...and Max?" Nudge called.

"Yeah?"

"You look totally hot!" she squealed. Angel nodded in agreement. I giggled nervously.

"Thanks..." I muttered, embarassed. "Now, drink these." I said, tossing the two cans to Nudge.

"Why?" she looked confused. Poor thing probably didn't even know what a Red Bull was.

"Just..trust me on this one." I told her, grinning.

"But...you told me never to drink one of these, because it makes all your hair and teeth fall out." she said sadly. Oh yeah...I forgot about that. It was right after the day she tried her first Mountain Dew....I shuddered.

"Well...I lied, so...bottoms up." She looked at me for a second, but then shrugged and cracked one open, chugging it down like there was no tomorrow. "Angel..." I said, turning to her."Go get me those pairs of handcuffs you got from the magic show okay?" By the time she got me the cuffs, Nudge was already on her second Red Bull. I'd better do this quick, before she exploded. I grabbed Nudge and dragged her to the maintainance closet I had spotted on my way up. I shoved her in. "Keep drinking..." I muttered before shutting the door and hurrying to the boys' room. I knocked on the door. Gazzy answered it. I could see Iggy in the back, grabbing a pop can from the mini fridge, and Fang sprawled out on the couch, an ice pack on his head. I almost burst out laughing right there. Gazzy looked at me, confused.

"What do you want?" he asked.

"Go get Iggy. I need the two of you to help me get something from the supply closet." I told him quickly.

"Why can't you get it yourself?" he questioned, looking like he had no desire whatsoever to leave the room.

"I just...can't...okay? I need your help." He looked over his shoulder and shrugged.

"Iggy!" he called. Iggy shuffled over.

"Come on...this way." I told them, grabbing each of their arms. I pulled them all the way to the supply closet and cracked the door open. Nudge was sitting calmly. It looked as though the rush hadn't quiet kicked in yet. "Its on the top shelf." I told Iggy and Gazzy. They walked in, sullenly. I shuffled in after them and grabbed their wrists. I quickly, in a single movement, handcuffed both of them to Nudge, whose eyes were now dialated so much, they were practically all black instead of their usual brown. Then I slipped out of the room, and shut it, jamming in with a nearby chair. I giggled evily as I walked away. Maybe I was getting a little too carried away with this whole revenge thing...

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**Nudge's POV **

***THIS CONTENT HAS BEEN REMOVED BY THE UNITED STATES GOVERMENT FOR FURTHER STUDY* **

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**Fang's POV **

I groaned. I was so tired. I felt like I had been hit with a mac truck. Iggy and Gazzy had wandered off to go help Max "get something from the supply closet". I don't know about you, but I think that sounds really dirty. Leaning my head back against the couch didn't help much, so I rolled off onto the floor. As it turns out, leaning my face into the hard floor doesn't help much either. I groaned again. I heard tiny footsteps entering the room. I picked my head up off the ground. Angel was standing in the doorway. I grunted to ask her what she wanted. "Fang...I'm bored. Will you play with me?" she asked sweetly. I rolled over onto my back. I didn't feel like playing, but I guess I'm the leader now.

"Sure...What do you wanna play? Twenty questions? Hide and seek?" She shook her head.

"Will you paint my nails?" she asked quietly.

"Ummmm..." I began, looking for a nice way to say no.

"'Cause...Max always paints my nails, and she's not hear, and since...you're the leader....I thought, maybe..." she trailed off, looking down at her feet. I sighed. What a mushball, I'm turning into! She looked up and grinned as I got to my feet. She handed me a bottle of bright pink nail polish. I sighed...I'd better get to work...

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**Max's POV **

I was reclining in my chair, when I decided it was time to check on Fang and Angel. I walked over to the door and popped my head in. He, Angel, and a bunch of her stuffed animals sat in a circle on the floor. "Here you go, Ms. Lacy." Angle murmered happily, pouring one of her stuffed animals an imaginary cup of tea. "More tea, Mr. Fang?" she asked him. He sat, looking quite pissed, to her right with a tiara on his head, and a pink feather boa around his neck. He nodded sullenly. She poured him some imaginary tea and he pretended to take a sip. "Ah, ah, ah, Mr. Fang." said Angel, slyly. "Pinky up...like this." She demonstrated. He narrowed his eyes but obliged, sticking his pinky up in the air and taking an imaginary sip of tea. I almost died laughing. I was almost crying. Fang looked over at me, noticing me for the first time. He tore off the boa and crown and stalked towards me, angrily.

"Max! I don't know how you do it! She made me do...girl stuff. I can't--and...she made me paint her nails, and braid her hair, and this." he muttered like a crazy man, gesturing to the tea party. "I can't take it any more! I'm sorry, I tricked you! I'm sorry I made you cry! Just please! Don't make me be the leader! I can't! Anything! Anything, but this!" He looked like he was about to have a stroke. Just then, Iggy and Gazzy burst through the door.

"Max..." Iggy muttered. "Nudge did stuff in there to us...that I will never be able to talk about...We're scarred for life..." I started laughing again.

"I can't believe...you guys...fell for that!" I cried in bursts between laughter. They looked at me like George W. Bush had just come in and wacked them with a tennis racket and walked out. "It was revenge for the prank! I never wanted to stop being leader. I just wanted revenge."

"You mean...I'm not the leader?" Fang asked hopefully.

"No, Fang, you're not the leader." I told him, grinning.

"YES!!!!!" he cried in joy. I laughed again. The boys just stared at me, though.

"Come on...you have to admit that was pretty good..." There was silence and than they all said,

"Yeah...it was." Then everyone ran up and hugged eachother. Fang stood still when I walked over to him.

"Oh come here, you emotionless beast." I said as I wrapped my arms around him. He stiffened but than hugged back. I laughed. He was such a good hugger. "Guys..." I announced to everyone. "I promise...from now on....this will be the best day off ever." They all cheered. "Right after we find Nudge." Everyone groaned and headed for the door.

A/N: Holy Shit! That was long! Oh my God...sorry. You can just skim through if you want. The funny parts are all at the end. Jeese... Hopefully the next one will be shorter...


	8. Help Me! Author's Note

A/N: Please help me! I'm taking chapter suggestions! It has to fit after the last chapter, and the flock should probably be outside the hotel. I'm running out of ideas, but I need this one chapter here, for the others. I can't think of anything. I'm desperate. So if you could please...send me any ideas you have, and I'll see what I can do with um. I guess this kinda gives you a chance to request if you had wanted to before. Go ahead, don't be afraid. I take all your ideas into careful consideration.


	9. Circe De Maximum

A/N: Okay...I know that was a super short time to take suggestions, but I found one very quick that I absolutely had to work with. Your other suggestions may give me ideas for an entirely seperate fanfic, though, so send any ideas in if you want. But no...I do not beleive in sequels so there will not be continuations to this story after I have finished. Sorry! Now...to the story! Oh! By the way, the person who gave me inspiration for this chapter was FreeSpirit329! Thanks!

**Disclaimer**!: Oh! I have to remind you again?! You are so lucky I don't have Rubiks Cube with me right now. I can do weird things with a Rubiks Cube...Weird things... But, yeah.....I don't own Maximum Ride.

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**Chapter 7: Circe de Maximum**

**Max's POV **

I sighed as I placed another ice pack over poor Nudge's forehead. The poor thing was having a little bit of a Red Bull hangover. I felt bad about making her do that just for revenge. "I'm sorry, Nudge..." I muttered for about the thousandth time. She just shook her head and kept telling me it was okay. I glanced over at the rest of the flock. They looked bored out of their poor freakin' heads. And it was supposed to be fun! I couldn't think of anything to do. I helped Nudge over to the couch and sat her up. She still looked a little out of it.

"Max...I really wanna do something outside the hotel." Angel said. She was starting to get a little whiny, so I knew she had been cooped up inside for too long.

"I know, sweetie, but I can't think of anything to do. There's just not very much to do in a town like this--" I stopped short, noticing something on t.v. "Gazzy, turn that up! Hurry!" I pointed eagerly to the t.v. Gazzy clicked the volume button up a little louder until I could hear it clearly.

"So come on down to the Carnavale, where the real fun's at! Rollercoasters, ferris wheels, firework displays, and of course...lots and lots of carnival food! So hurry in! Open July 18th through the 22nd." Then the commercial changed to some oxy clean crap.

"Angel, what's the date?" I asked. She thought for a moment, and then said,

"It's the 21st. Why?"

"Guys...I know what we're gonna do today!" I announced, importantly. They all stopped what they were doing, which wasn't much, and stared at me. "How does going to the carnival sound?" There was silence for a minute and then everyone started nodding and agreeing.

"That sounds like fun..." Iggy pondered the idea.

"Yeah!" said Angel excitedly. "Anything to get us out of this dump!" I rolled my eyes. She could be such a drama queen sometimes.

"So...it's settled then. We'll all get ready and then head down to this carnival thing. Sound like a plan?" I asked.

"If it gets me some carnival food and a roller coaster, I'm in." said Gazzy. I patted his head. Soon everyone drifted off to go grab something or another. This carnival thing sounded like fun, but I was a bit nervous because I knew there would be hundreds of people there. And people are not my specialty. I reached over for Fang's laptop, which he had left abandoned on the coffee table, and googled this carnival thing. It came up with only about a gazillion entrys, but I managed to find a map to the site pretty quickly. I memorized the coordinates and shut the screen.

"Hey?! What are you doing with my laptop?" Fang said from behing me. I jumped a little in surprise and tossed the laptop lightly onto the bed.

"Looking at porn, Fang." I said sarcastically. "No...I'm looking up a map to the carnival." He rolled his eyes and plopped down on the couch next to me.

"You sure you're okay with this?" he asked. I nodded my head very fast, almost trying to convince myself. Then the others poured into the room, a new excitement filling the air.

"Max..." Nudge said. "I think I'm still a little tired. Maybe I should stay back." I thought for a moment, but before I could act, Angel jumped in.

"Here!" she said, tossing something to Nudge. "Try this! It'll make ya feel better real fast. Trust me." The object appeared to be a long stick filled with something. Nudge tore the top off of it and downed the contents which was some sort of powder. At first I was worried that Angle had given Nudge some sort of drugs. And I was thinking about the long talk I was going to have to have with her, until I read the label. Pixie Stix. Thank god! Since everyone was ready to go, I grabbed my jacket and raced to the door.

"Lets go."

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When we arrived at the carnival, my watch read 3:36. The flight had been a good half an hour. The line to get in appeared to be miles long, and the people in it were grumbling with distaste like they'd been standing there for awhile. I looked at the times posted on a nearby stand. The carnival should have opened an hour and a half ago, but there wasn't a soul in the grounds besides a very stressed looking staff. "What's going on?" asked Iggy. The carnival would be toughest of all on Iggy, what with not being able to see and all.

"I don't know. It looks like the line's stopped for some reason. There's no one even inside yet." I whispered back to him. People were beginning to get impatient. In a short span of time I saw three seperate fist fights, some idiot with juggling pins chuck them at some other guy, and someone dressed in a KKK robe run through the line holding a burning cross while a police officer chased him. What has our world become?! The people I were most interested in were the two conversing next to us. They stood a short distance away from the line, but my supersensitive hearing allowed me to listen in.

"Yes...we had had four people not show up to run the booths." a woman was saying to a short balding man. "If we don't find fill-ins, I'm not sure we'll be able to have the carnival. They were our four most popular booths. Oh! I don't know what to do! Maybe it's just better if we close up?"

"No. These people will start a riot, they've been waiting here so long." said the man. "Why don't we try to find some fill-ins."

"Oh, Steve, everyone here came to enjoy themselves, not work. We can't just ask someone to give up their good time to help us because our people didn't show up. That's our problem!"

"Well...you better think of a way to fix it or you're fired!" And with that, the man went off towards a trailer and slipped inside. The poor woman looked like she was about to cry or throw up, or both.

"Max...we can't just not help." said Angel sweetly. "We have to do something!" I groaned. Gosh! Why can't I be meaner! I didn't really want to help, but that poor woman just looked so pathetic, I was pretty sure I'd go to hell if I didn't help her. I slowly walked up to her.

"Umm...hi." I said nervously, not quite sure what to say. "I couldn't help overhearing your little conversation, and...I--I've got a few people who'd be willing to fill in, myself included." She didn't respond for a moment, but then she burst out into tears.

"Oh thank you! You don't know how much that would help! Oh! Thank you!" she cried. I just stood there, feeling awkward. "Where are they?" she asked, still a little shaky.

"Right over here." I said pointing to the flock. She nodded and walked over.

"Umm...aren't they a little young to be volunteering at a carnival?" she asked skeptically, eyeing up Angel and Gazzy.

"It's either this or nothing." I said. She nodded.

"Right. This or nothing...Right this way." She led us through the gates and more people grumbled as we went through. "Anyway, since there's only four booths unmanned, and there's six of you, not counting the dog, I'll split you up into groups for each booth." I couldn't help but feel nervous. Not only were there hundreds of people here, but we were also gonna be split up. What if something happened? At least the little ones would be paired up. "You two." she said, pointing to Angel and Nudge. "You'll be perfect for the cotton candy machine. It's very easy to learn how to operate, but Sheila will show you the proper way to run it." She pointed to a woman with her hair pulled back into a multicolored ponytail. She also sported multiple facial piercings. Nudge and Angel looked at me for a second and then ran off towards Sheila, excited expressions on their faces. I laughed a little, calming myself down. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad after all... "All right...and you guys over there..." she said to Iggy and Gazzy. "You guys look like you'd want to do...hmm...oh I know! How about you guys help out John with the fireworks display we'll be having later tonight? Does that sound like fun?"

"Does it ever!" exclaimed Gazzy. "Come on, Ig, I'll race ya there!" The two of them shot off in the direction of a large tent labeled **Fireworks Tent**.

"Umm..." I whispered to the woman. "They can kinda get a little crazy around explosives and stuff, so..."

"Oh...don't worry about it." she told me, reassuringly. "I'm sure John will be able to handle them. They're only kids...what could they do?" The question was not what could they do, it was what wouldn't they do? "Anyway..." she continued, "You uh...."

"F--Nick." he provided, slipping up slightly with his name, but quickly corrected himself.

"Yes..Nick. I think it would suit you just fine if you ran the ferris wheel. Kelsey will show you how to run it and stuff." She pointed to a blonde woman who was tending to a hotdog cart. Fang looked back at me and whispered,

"Good luck." Before running off to find Kelsey so she could show him the ropes.

"And you...yes I think this booth will be just fine for you. It's right over there. I think Carla could tell you what to do. She's over by that red stand over there, sweeping up." I nodded and began to walk over to the red booth, but the woman called me back. "Oh! Um...and my name's Juliana if you ever need anything. Oh and...you guys have free food for life here. If you want... I don't know what I would have done without you! Thanks." I nodded again and walked off. Well...I don't know about you, but I think free carnival food for life sound pretty darn good. Anyway...I found Carla sweeping up by the red booth. She looked up, puzzled.

"Umm....I'm supposed to mann a booth?" I told her nervously. She looked confused.

"Which one?" she asked. I though for a moment and then remembered she hadn't told me which booth.

"Ummm....." Carla looked around, probably trying to spot an un-manned booth.

"Oh! She probably ment that one!" She pointed to another red booth, and beckoned for me to follow her. When we reached it, she pulled me into a dressing room of sorts located right behind the booth. "All right...just put these on, and come on out when you're finished and I'll give you instructions." she said, holding up a larg black zipper bag. She tossed it on a chair. "See ya in a few." Then she slipped out, leaving me and the zipper bag alone.

"I guess I'd better get this over with..." I muttered to myself as I reached out to unzip the bag...

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**Nudge's POV **

Me and Angel followed behind a girl named Sheila as she led us to the cotton candy cart. I was bubbling with excitement and I could hardly contain myself! "Okay...it's really easy just watch what I do." she said, turning the machine on. "Okay...just turn the machine on like this when you wanna make more, kay? Alright, now you just add some sugar." She grabbed a measurment of pink cotton candy sugar, and poured it into the machine. The next couple minutes were baisically her just telling us how to run it. Nothing exciting. "Okay. Got it?" she asked after she was done explaining. We both nodded. After that, she left. Probably to go to her booth. I wonder which booth she worked at. I glanced at the one she was headed for. **Facial Piercing/Tattoo Booth: Completely Professional. Must Be 18 or Have Parent/Guardian to Recieve Any Service **read a sign. Figures... I was never one for facial piercings. I might get my bellybutton done though. That's kinda cute...Some sort of gem. Maybe a diamond.

"Nudge." Angel called. I stopped staring at the booth and glanced over at her. She was standing on tip-toe, trying to get the box of sugar, which Sheila had placed just put of her reach. I grabbed the sugar for her, and grabbed one of those sticks you stir the cotton candy with as well. I giggled to myself. This was going to be fun...

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**Gazzy's POV **

Me and Iggy scampered into the tent, him coming in just slightly before me. "Haha! Beat you!" he cried out. I grumbled angrily. I didn't like to lose. Especially to a blind guy. Not that I have a problem with Iggy being blind, or anything. I mean...he's my best friend. It's just, him being blind makes me feel all the more weak if I can't do something as good as he can. I guess he is older than me, though, so....

"Well...what can I do for you two?" said a voice from behind us. I turned around. Standing in front of us was a very tall, skinny guy with his hair in a ponytail and a slight beard. The fuzzy kind that doesn't really hang off your face. And he had large, black rimmed glasses. He looked kinda well...nerdy.

"Umm..." said Iggy. "Well...I'm Jeff and this is....um...." He looked like he didn't know what to call me. I mean, he can't stick with my last one. General Pain or something like that... I decided to just go with my real name.

"My name's Gazzy. Or at least...that's what my friends call me, and--"

"Say no more." he interuppted. "Juliana radioed over to me that I'd have two little helpers for the fireworks display. Why don't you help me organize the shells." He pointed to me. "And you can organize the cakes. After that, we'll work on the fountains."

"You mean...like...explosive stuff?" I asked in awe. He smiled knowingly at me.

"That's right. You like explosives?" he asked.

"You bet we do!" me and Iggy shouted in unison. He laughed a little.

"Come on...let's get started. Don't wanna get behind scheduel." Maybe this guy wasn't so bad after all...

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**Fang's POV **

I eventually found that girl, Kelsey. She was a short blonde woman, probably about 36 or something. Anyway, she was short and plump and wore her hair in little pigtails, like a little girl would. "Well hi there!" she said cheerfully as I approached. "What can I do for you?"

"I have to run the ferris wheel." I said quietly. She nodded and smiled really big. I kinda liked her smile, it was nice.

"Well...right this way!" She began to walk towards the giant ferris wheel looming in the distance. On the way there, I saw some short, tired looking guy just standing by a box.

"What's he doing?" I asked Kelsey, pointing to the lone man.

"Oh James? Oh he's manning the raffle." she said pleasantly.

"What's the raffle for?"

"I'm not sure. You've got time to go look quick, if you want." I made my way to the box. When the guy saw me, he brightened up.

"Would you like to enter the raffle, kid?" he asked, implying that I probably should 'cause he hadn't had any customers yet.

"Depends..." I said. "What's it for?"

"The winner of the raffle will get to sit at the top of the ferris wheel, with a friend of his or her choice, for the fireworks display starting later this evening." I thought for a moment. I guess it wouldn't hurt to enter.

"How much?" I asked, 'cause I had zippo money on me.

"Eh...you're my first customer,so...how 'bout free?"

"That's fine with me." I hurriedly filled out an entry form and then ran off to go find out how to operate the ferris wheel like a civilized person....

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A/N: Haha! You'll have to wait for part two before you find out what happens. Even though it's totally obvious. Eh...I'll probably just write the second part tonight anyways, so you won't exactly have to wait long. Anyways, thanks again to my fabulous reviewers!


	10. Circe De Maximum Pt 2

A/N: Hello! It's nice to see you all again. Even though I can't actually see you. (I have to say that so the goverment doesn't know I've set up cameras in every one of my reviewer's houses. Shh!) LOL! Just Joking. Or so you hope....Well...here's part two of my last chapter.

**Disclaimer!: **I'll say it nice and slow so you understand...Ready? Okay... Say it with me. I...do not own...Maximum...Ride...in any...way shape, or forrm. Got that? Need to take notes?

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Chapter 7: Circe De Maximum Part 2

**Max's POV **

I pulled the little zipper down, revealing the contents. Oh my Ra! There was no way I was putting this on! No way! I held it up. Uh-uh! There must be some mistake. "Carla?!" I called. "I think I got the wrong bag!" She peeked her head in and looked at the items I was holding up.

"Nope...that's the right one." she said simply like it didn't matter.

"Ummm...why do I have to wear this?" I asked anxiously.

"Get dressed, come out, and I'll explain." And with that, she disappeared.

"But--" I sighed. Okay...I promised this Juliana lady I would do this, right? Right. So...I had to. But what on earth could I have to do that involved me wearing this?! I eventually changed into this little outfit and nervously stepped outside, trying to conceal myself from any passerbys. Fortunately, it looked like they still hadn't let people in yet.

"Oh you look wonderful in that!" Carla exclaimed when she caught sight of me. "Here! Look at yourself in the mirror. She pulled me into the house of mirrors which was located right across from my booth. I gasped at my own reflection in the mirrors. I looked awful! "Oh! Sorry... not that one. That one makes you look fat." I sighed in relief. "Here...this one's normal. Again, I gasped at my reflection. But it wasn't in horror this time. The outfit they had put me in was slightly more revealing than my usual attire. It was a little black dress that hardly covered anything. Two small bright blue ribbons decorated the front. I also wore fishnet thigh-highs and black heels, which I kept tripping up in. They even put me in bunny ears! How slutty and stupid is that?! I have to admit, though, I did actually look at least okay in it, though. Carla seemed to agree. "Oh! You'll have so many people at your booth!" she giggled.

"Yeah...what exactly is my booth, by the way?" I asked, dreading the answer.

"Well, it's a kissing booth of course!" she said excitedly.

"A what?!" I practically yelled

"A kissing booth." she repeated. " Okay...kisses are a dollar each, or two tickets. You get to kiss whoever comes up for...I don't know...a couple seconds, and then you get to do it again!' she exclaimed, leading me back towards the booth. I dragged my feet. "Doesn't that sound like fun?"

"No!" I yelled. "It sounds slutty and playerish! I don't wanna kiss random people!" Carla sighed. "Look...you promised Juliana you'd run a booth for her right?"

"Well...yeah, but--" I started, but she interrupted.

"Well...you wouldn't wanna let her down, would you? She'd lose her job." I sighed angrily. I hate it when people tell me what to do. "You'll be just fine. Now hurry! They're already letting people in!" She shoved me behind my booth and ran off to hers. A ring toss of some sort, I think. I huffed in irritation. What kind of creep comes to these sorts of things anyways?

"Well...hello." said a rather cute boy as he approached the booth. He had shaggy brown hair and dark brown eyes. I was a sucker for brown eyes. He threw a dollar on the counter in front of me. I just stared at it. "What? Is it more than that? I've got more if you need it--"

"No...it's a dollar." I said quietly.

"Something wrong?" he asked. I shook my head. "Well...are you gonna kiss me?" I blushed.

"Well...I've never..." I trailed off. He smirked.

"It's easy...Here...I'll show you..." I shut my eyes as he leaned in to kiss me.

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**Fang's POV **

"Next!" I called to the line of people leading up to the ferris wheel. Kelsey had disappeared awhile ago after showing me how to work the wheel. A guy and what must have been his girlfriend stepped into the waiting seat. I set the ferris wheel spinning and sighed as I watched it go round and round.

"Hey! I thought you might like a break!" Carla was walking towards me, a huge smile on her face, as usual. I nodded greatfully, thanked her, and took off, eager to get away. Just pressing buttons and saying next for an hour can get kind of boring. I was just wandering around aimlessly, not sure what to do. Suddenly, a rowdy bunch of teenagers passed me, laughing and joking noisilly.

"Hey!" one of the guys called to me. "You've gotta go try the kissing booth! There's this super hot girl running it!" Then he truned back around and walked off with his buddies. Huh...kissing booth...super hot girl. That didn't sound half bad. I was bored out of my mind, and Max wasn't there to call me a pig and smack upside the head like she usually is, so I figured, eh...what the hell. I hunted around on the ground and eventually found a dollar bill.

"That should cover it..." I muttered to myself. I walked around for a little bit, until I discovered a decently sized line leading up to a red booth. I could just read the print on the sign that hung over the booth. **Kisses: $1.00 **it read. I smirked and got into line, imagining what the girl at the booth would look like.

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**Max's POV **

"Pucker up..." said a very cute guy with shaggy blonde hair and gorgeous green eyes. He tossed a dollar onto the counter, and I shoved it into the bucket by my feet. It had really filled up. I was starting to get the hang of this. It was routine now. It didn't matter anymore. This was all to help Juliana. He leaned in and smooched me. I played my part, trying my best to kiss back. After counting to twenty in my head, I pulled back. He looked dissappointed, but walked away.

"All right...that'll be one...dollar..." I trailed of from the shock of who was standing next in line. "Fang?" I asked incredulously.

"Max?" he said in surprise with the same tone I had used.

"What are you doing here?!" we asked eachother at the same time? "I could ask you the same thing!" we said in unison again. I groaned.

"No...what are you doing here Fang? This is my booth? This is what they volunteered me for!" He narrowed his eyes.

"Well...why did you agree? And what are you wearing?!" he asked, protectively.

"Required uniform. Now...what the heck do you think you're doing? You're the one that came to suck face with some random girl!"

"You're the one who agreed to let guys like me suck face with you!" he said, angrily. I groaned again.

"Stop being so overprotective, Fang. I'm not a little girl anymore. I can take care of myself!" I shouted.

"Well...you're being kind of a slut right now, Max, and if something happens to you with one of these creeps, don't come crying to me about it!"

"Don't call me a slut! I'm doing this for Juliana!"

"I'm only calling you what you are!" he shouted angrily.

"You're being a real jerk, Fang!" I was in his face now, shouting. He pushed me backwards. "Hey! You ass! Don't shove me!" I shoved him back. As he stumbled backwards, I saw something flash in his eyes that was unrecognizable. He almost looked startled, or hurt. He quickly turned and backed away. "Fang?!" I called in confusion. He was stalking away now. I sighed, exasperated.

"Ooh...was that your ex or something?" said the next guy in line, sympathetically.

"Something like that..." I grumbled. I looked at the long line. I really didn't feel like doing this anymore. I reached for the closed sign and put it up. Everyone in line groaned. "Sorry..." I said. "Maybe, I'll go find Carla." I thought. "She seemed like she would enjoy this more than I did." And with that, I picked up the bucket of money, and went to change back into my normal clothes. When I was finished, I left the bucket hidden in the dressing room and hurried off to find my flock.

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I found Nudge and Angel by the cotton candy machine, covered in cotton candy. Tip: Don't let hungry bird pubescents run sugar machinery. I laughed to myself, wondering if I should write the company, requesting that they put that in the instructions for the thing. Nudge was up to her armpits in cotton candy and Angel looked like a pink poodle, she was so swathed in it. And Total...don't even get me started on Total. They all looked down at their feet when they saw me. Like children who had taken candy from a jar and been caught in the act. I laughed at them and they started to giggle too. It was getting darker. The carnival would probably be closing soon. It closed at 8:00. It was probably around 6:30, and the fireworks started at 7:00.

"Oh, Max! We had so much fun! We got to put the sugar in, and serve it, and get money, and stir the cotton, and stuff!" gushed Nudge. I ruffled her hair goodnaturedly.

"Come on...let's close up. The fireworks are gonna start soon." I helped them get cleaned up and propped the closed sign on the counter, shutting off the machine. Then we went in search of the promise land. Okay...it was for Iggy and Gazzy, but the chances we had of finding the promise land or those two were about the same. Anyway...we started to make our way towards the fireworks tent. Suddenly there was a big kaboom from Iggy and Gazzy's tent. The words Iggy, Gazzy, and kaboom all together in one sentence is a very dangerous thing. We rushed over there. Inside, we found the two of them, along with a tall skinny guy with facial hair, rolling around on the floor, covered in soot and ash. Then, they caught sight of us.

"Uh...we kinda had a bit of an accident." said Iggy meekly.

"Well, no dip, sherlock, I can see that." I said jokingly. "What did you do?"

"We...er...had a bit of a technical difficulty with one of our rockets." said the tall guy. "I'm John, by the way." he added, holding out his hand.

"Nice to meet ya, John, but if you don't mind, I've really gotta get these two something to eat. So...we're just gonna head over to the food stands."

"Aww...Max! We we're having so much fun! I wanna stay here with John so badly! He's so cool! Please?!" Gazzy whined.

"I know buddy, but guess what? Juliana, the lady that needed our help, said we had free carnival food for life. That means you could have as much as you want. But I guess if you'd rather stay here...."

"Bye John!" said Gazzy heading towards the door. John laughed.

"See ya later, guys. Thanks for helping me!" he said.

Soon we were all sitting around a picnic table, a buffet of food layed out before us. I saw several people stare as they watched little Angel put away six hot dogs in under ten minutes. I laughed at their surprised faces. "Max?" asked Angel as she reached for a bottle of mustard.

"Hmmm?" I grunted, stuffing my face with funnel cake, my all time favorite carnival food. Several pyros skipped past our table, twirling fire. I saw Iggy's eyes light up at the thought.

"Where's Fang?" asked Angel. I stopped stuffing my face momentarily, and wiped my mouth with a napkin.

"He's uh..." I couldn't think of a suitable answer.

"Did you and him get in a fight?" she asked, looking sad. I sighed.

"Yes...We got in a tiny fight, but it's nothing to worry about, okay?" I told her reassuringly.

"What did you fight about?" she asked.

"It was nothing, okay, Ang. Nothing at all. I'll talk to him when we get back to the hotel, okay? So just...don't worry about it." She nodded and went back to her eighth hotdog. I looked up at the sky. It was getting dark. They would be starting the fireworks show soon. Already I could see people laying out blankets on the ground, preparing to watch the show. I began to worry a little bit about where Fang had gone. I wonder if her felt like that after our other fight. We had been fighting alot lately. I don't really know why. There was just some sort of tension between us now. I wished I could tell him I was sorry. I really wished. A booming voice startled me out of my thought bubble. I jumped.

"All right ladies and gentlemen!" a voice was saying over the loudspeakers. " Our fireworks show will begin in ten minutes. But, now it's time to announce the winner of our raffle. Remember the winner gets to watch the fireworks display from ontop of the ferris wheel." I saw lots of people take out little tickets with excitement. I wished I had known about this raffle. It would be nice if I could watch the fireworks from up there. "All right...the winning ticket is number....68141414!" That's funny! That's all of the flocks ages in order! What a coincidence! "Do we have a claimer?" asked the booming voice again. "Ah yes...here we go. What's your name young man? All right...we have a Mr. Nick Ride as the winner of tonight's raffle! Congratulations Nick!" And then the loudspeaker clicked off. My mouth was hanging open. I couldn't believe Fang won! Maybe there was someone else here named Nick Ride. There had to be.

"Fang won?" asked Gazzy incredulously.

"Yep." said a voice behind me. I turned. Fang had snuck up right behind me and I hadn't even noticed. I stared up at him, trying to look pitiful so that he wouldn't be too upset with me. That woman, Kelsey, stood behind him, looking around, happily. Me and Fang stared at eachother for a minute. "Max...would you--do you...wanna go up in the ferris wheel with me to watch the fireworks?" he asked a bit sheepishly.

"I--I guess." I stuttered. At least it would give me a chance to apologize. He held out his hand and helped me up from the table.

"Okay....I don't mean to rush you guys," said Kelsey, "but the display starts in five minutes, so we've gotta hurry." We ran after Kelsey, hand in hand towards the ferris wheel.

"Have fun you two!" called Iggy, playfully. I rolled my eyes. We reached the wheel and quickly climbed into the seat. It wasn't one of those gandala things, it was just a little red bench thing hardly big enough for two people. Kelsey made sure we had the bar down securely and then rushed over to the controls and started the ferris wheel turning. We luched up and kept getting higher and higher 'till we reached the top. I could see the whole site from up here. We didn't say anything for a little while. Finally, I decided to break the ice.

"Fang?" I said very quietly. He looked down at me. (He was taller. Grrr...) "I'm really sorry about what happened before. I didn't mean to get mad at you like that." He shook his head.

"No...It was my fault. I shouldn't have yelled at you like that. You were only doing it to help Juliana. I shouldn't have called you a slut." he said.

"Well...I still should've controlled my anger better. It wasn't right for me to yell like that. You were only worried about me."

"No. I was being way too over protective. I should just let you do your own thing and not get in the way." I started laughing. He looked at me, confused. "What's funny? I'm trying to apologize." He looked a little irritated as well.

"Look at us." I said laughing. "We're fighting about a fight." I laughed more. Soon he was chuckling too. It progressed, and suddenly, we were both laughing so hard, we had tears streaming from our eyes. It wasn't even that funny! Suddenly, a large boom startled me. We both jumped and looked up. Purple spirals invaded the air. Hissing in the sky. Then more shot up until the sky was under attack with purple spirals and tiny gold fizzles. We stopped laughing for a moment to watch. But, I soon turned back to look at him. "But, Fang..." He looked away from the sky, back at me. "I really am sorry." He nodded.

"Me too, Max. You have no idea." he said.

"I mean...not just for tonight. I mean everything." I wanted him to understand what I meant. I meant everything. He looked at me for a minute, and then nodded. I knew he understood.

"I'm sorry for everyhthing, too. And the prank. I'm sorry about making you cry. I never meant to hurt you, you know that, right?"

"Yeah...I know." I laughed a little bit. "That prank seems so stupid now. So childish." I shrugged. "Oh...and I forgive you for all the things you apologized for, too. He nodded again. (We seem to be doing quite a bit of nodding today.)

"I forgive you too." We sat for a second. More fireworks were being loaded. I could see it down below us. It was almost too quiet. I reached my hand out and found Fang's.

"So...you didn't like my outfit much today did you?" I asked him, only half joking. He chuckled a bit.

"Actually...it didn't look half bad on you. In fact...it...er...looked kinda good on you." I blushed. "But, you know what, Max?"

"Hmmm?" I grunted, looking up at the stars as showers of green sparks launched into the air and fizzled out.

"I like how you look in your normal clothes too." he said. I looked over at him. He smiled.

"Thanks." I leaned in and lightly kissed him on the cheek. "That was sweet." I could feel his cheeks heat up. I laughed under my breath, very softly. Emerald explosions shook the night sky and sent a rain of green sparks towards the earth. Little miniature gold ones combined with them, and the sky looked like a beautiful watercolor painting. I leaned my head on Fang's shoulder, trying to take it all in. He stiffened at first, but then relaxed and leaned his head ontop of mine. Hundreds of bright red lines streaked the sky, making it look completely red, and leaving a trail of sparkling, fading red behind it. Light green fireworks lit up in front. Then, when they faded, fireworks like white lightning replaced them. They danced across the sky haphazerdly, showering everything in sparks. Then purple ones with light gold centers filled the night sky after the others. And so on, and so on, until the sky was a color palate. I breathed in the fresh night air, and didn't dare close my eyes for a second, for fear that it would dissappear. For now, the only thing that existed was me, Fang, and the beautiful fireworks. No itex, no other people, no worries whatsover. Just us....

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A/N: Oh! That was so fun to write! I loved it. No, that was not the fax chapter, that one's coming super soon! But, I think this one turned out pretty well too. Teehee...That was fun. Hope you liked it. There's still more to come. Like two chapters, though so it must soon come to an end. Ooh...That was fun. Review people!


	11. Bouillabaisse and Brain Attacks

A/N: I hope all of you liked my last chapter. It was my first real stab at fax. The first major point I got in there. Yes...this is the second to last chapter, and you know what that means! The next will be the end. I'll be finished. I'll hear no words about a sequel. It's not gonna happen. I can't wait to write the last chapter. Those are always the best to write. Except...it is kinda depressing to know you're done. Like really done. So I'll just take a deep breath and suck it up, so hopefully this chapter can turn out exactly the way I want it too.

**Disclaimer!: **Oh...I can't think of anything good to say, so....apparently I do not own Maximum Ride. Yeah...that's about it.

**Warning!:** This chapter is kind of graphic. Not, like, gore or anything. Just some...IDK...graphic thoughts and ideas or something. Either way...you've been warned. It's not gross or anything. Just...oh just read it! I don't care! You can sue me later!

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**Chapter 8: I'll Have the Bouillabaisse With a Side of Brain Attack, Please**

**Max's POV**

The fireworks ended sometime later. I don't know how long it was. It could have been seconds, or it could have been hours. Everything just seemed to be going in slow motion and nothing else mattered. Especially the time. Suddenly, we were on the ground. Kelsey must have lowered the wheel and we must have climbed out. I hadn't noticed. Everything was hazy, and I didn't really care. Suddenly, I was being bombarded by children. The flock ran up to me excitedly.

"Oh, Max! Weren't the fireworks wonderful! Were they even better up there?!" Angel squealed with delight. I nodded eagerly.

"They certainly were." I told her, a gleaming smile thrown casually across my face. I glanced back at Fang. He smirked slightly at me.

"Did you guys...ya know...do anything up there?" Nudge whispered to me while the others walked away. Probably to stock up on as much carnival food as possible.

"Nudge..." I scolded her. "That's not the kind of question you ask people!" She rolled her eyes.

"Well...did you?" she pressed. I blushed slightly. She gasped. "You did! Did you kiss? Ooh! I bet you did!" I shushed her.

"No...we didn't. We just basically apologized to eachother and stuff, and then...." I trailed off, turning redder.

"And then what?" she asked. She seemed so excited that she looked like she was about to pee her pants. I backed away slightly.

"We just...watched the fireworks. It was nice." I told her quietly, obviously leaving something out. She gave me that look she always gives me. That one that just screams "how stupid do you think I am?!". I shrugged. "That's it. Nothing more."

"Right..." she said, sarcasm dripping from her words. "I know when you're lying Maximum Ride. You're not a good lier." She looked at me suspiciously, but thankfully left it alone to go grab some hotdogs. I sighed in relief. I loved Nudge, but sometimes I just wished she would leave me alone. Now being a good example of that scenario, obviously. I watched contently while Gazzy stuffed as many giant preztles down his shirt as it would allow. And Angel was shoving candy bars by the dozen into her backpack. I rolled my eyes. Jeese...you'd think I never fed these kids.

"Uh...Max...is it?" I turned around. Juliana was walking towards me. I nodded. "I just wanted to thank you again. I don't know what I would've done without you guys." she said.

"Oh...no problem. In fact, I had fun. I'm sure we all did." I told her reassuringly. She grinned.

"Listen...all of us carnies are gonna go out to dinner tonight. It's kind of a tradition, with us, to go out to dinner when we make a record amount of money, and we were wondering if maybe you and your friends wanted to come with us?" she asked hopefully.

"Thanks for offering, but I don't have the money ot afford a fancy dinner or anything right now, and it's getting kinda late. I should prabably get the kids back to the hotel."

"Oh! Don't be silly! Dinner's on us tonight, sweetheart. It'll be a really fun time." I shook my head.

"Oh...I couldn't take money from you guys." I told her, blushing.

"Are you kidding me?! We owe you kids big time after what you did for us. A nice dinner is the least we could do. And I'm sure you could let the kiddos stay up late just for tonight, right?" she coaxed. I thought for a moment. Well...a free meal did sound nice. And this was supposed to be our day off. We could have a night out once in a while. Sure we could.

"Yeah...yeah that sounds alright. Yeah, sure, we'll go. It sounds like fun." I said. She giggled with enthusiasm.

"All righty then. I can probably take you over to the restaurant when you're ready. We'll prabably leave in about fifteen or twenty minutes after we lock up for the night. You guys do have something else to wear, right? It's kind of a nicer place." she asked, looking up and down at the ragged t-shirt and jeans I had on now. I shook my head.

"I might have something back at the hotel, but that's maybe forty minutes away. Are you sure we can't just go like this?"

"Oh...don't be silly. We're at a carnival! We surely have something you can change into! Tell you what...I'll go round up the others and get them into something and you can go play dress up with Kelsey." she said, pointing towards Kelsey, who was helping Angel grab some cotton candy off the top shelf of her booth. I was about to protest about dressing up, but when I looked back around, Julianan had already wandered off towards Nudge. No doubt she would have fun with this. I found Kelsey and told her I needed something nice to wear to the resaurant. She just laughed and told me to follow her. We reached a large trailer and climbed in. The inside was stuffed full of dresses of all different size and color. In the corner, a makeup stand was crammed in, and one wall was a gigantic mirror. I looked around in awe. This place was better stocked then an actual clothing store! I walked forward and ran my hand over some purple lace sticking out from the racks.

"Go ahead and pick one out. These ones over here should be about your size." She pointed to the section she was standing by. I looked around in it. Blue, green, red, black, yellow, purple. It was too much. The colors were giving me a headache.

"Umm...I can't choose. You pick one out for me." I told her, slightly embarrassed at my obvious lack in fashion sense. She didn't seem bothered by it, though. She hurriedly ran forward to help me with the selection. She tossed me a dark purple one, a light blue one, and a black one.

"There...I think all three of these would look wonderful on you. You can change behind this." She pulled out a paper screen that had been leaning against the wall, and unfolded it. I felt weird...changing behind a paper screen. The first one I tried on was the light blue one. It was strapless and went down to my ankles. It had a split up the side and some sort of rhinestone thing outlining my...er...bust. I wasn't sure if I liked it or not. It was a little long and the lack of straps felt weird. I think I'll pass on this one. I slipped it off and tried on the purple one. This one didn't go down quite as far as the last one had. It was a silky texture on the under side, but a layer of thin pruple lace lay over it and fluttered down slightly lower than the actual fabric. The part that covered my shoulders was completely lace and see through. There was a thin band around the middle as well. I'd think about this one. I kinda liked it. The last one I tried on was the black one. This one was definetly my favorite. It had spaghetti straps to hold it up, so I didn't have to worry about it falling down. It fell a little bit past my knees, so it wasn't too short or too long. It also had small white polkadots on it, but it wasn't overwhelming. It was, in fact, quite calm. And a black ribbon was tied to one side just below my chest. It was very flattering. I wanted to wear this one to the restaurant. I picked up the others and walked out. Kelsey wolfwhistled jokingly. I blushed. "You look wonderful." she gushed. I told her I liked her dress as well. It suited her. It was dark green and fluttery with a thick, dark green ribbon around the area just under her chest. It looked very good on her. I was starting to feel a little warm, so I asked if we could step out. My headache was getting worse, so I asked if I could have an advil or something. Kelsey had to go on a manhunt to find one, but she got it eventually. By the time we were finished and Kelsey had rushed me back into the trailer to dab some makeup on me, I could see the others waiting for us a little ways away. We rushed over, which is very hard to do when you're in high heels. I kept stumbling and tripping. I could here Kelsey trying to hold back laughter behind me. I blushed. The others looked wonderful. Nudge was in a little purple dress. It was fluttery and plain, but it looked nice on her. I had expected her to pick something a little more...bedazzled. Angel sported a light pink dress with tiny silver butterflies on the bottom right side. She looked so cute with her little ringlets. All the guys were wearing tuxedos. And I must say, they all looked dashing. Gazzy was adorable in his black one. He was so short, but very classy. Iggy looked like he was about to sit down and play Beethoven on a piano, it was really funny. And Fang...Fang was--If you ever tell him I said this, I will cheerfully beat you with a baseball bat covered in honey, then release a horde of killer bees on you. He looked...there was no other word for it...sexy. Yeah...I'll admit it. He did. He caught me oggling at him and grinned. I blushed and turned away. Juliana came rushing over about five minutes after I had arrived, sporting a very attractive yellow number that hung low, but showed off her good aspects. She grinned when she saw us all.

"Well...don't you all look wonderful. The restaurant's about ten minutes away, so we should get going now, or we'll be late for our reservation. I can't fit all you kids in my car, so the girls and their dog can ride with me, and the guys can ride with John and Kelsey in their car." Everyone nodded and began to head off towards the cars. Fang grabbed my hand and pulled me back.

"I'll see you at the restaurant, madame." he said. And then he pulled my hand up to his lips and kissed it. Then he winked at me and hurried off towards Kelsey's car. That's when the first stab of fear hit me. I didn't know what would happen next between me and Fang. Were we together now? Were we still just friends, like always? Should I know these things? What if nothing happens, or what if it did? Did I even like him like that? So much was running through my head. I was starting to get a headache again. "What if we did get together and then we breakup? What would happen then? I trusted Fang in everything. But...did I trust him in that way? I ran my hands through my hair. Taking a deep breath, I brushed off my fear, and hurried off to join the other's in Juliana's car.

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When we got to the restaurant it was close to 9:00. We hurried in and were seated ten minutes later. It really was a nice place. The name was something frech that I couldn't pronounce. The carpeting was pale brown and the tables were all round, which was new. The walls were glass so you could see right outside. I noticed a bridge, within walking distance, over a semi-large body of water. The bridge looked very high up from the water. I was seated in between Kelsey and Nudge. Fang was directly across from me. He smirked when I sat down. I couldn't bring myself to smile back. I still wasn't sure what was going on. I noticed a small dance floor in the center of the restaurant. I wondered how they could afford to go to a place like this. The nicest place I'd ever been into was a McDonalds. This place was so fancy, I was surprised they didn't charge entrance fees. Picking up a menu, I realized it was all in french. I couldn't understand a thing. But I could understand the prices. You didn't need to be bilingual to understand that it was expensive. I read it over nervously. "I reccomend the bouillbaisse. It's excellent here." Kelsey whispered to me, as I stared at the menu like an idiot. I nodded and looked at the price of the bouillabaisse. It actually wasn't that bad.

"Yeah...I think I'll get that." I whispered back to Kelsey. I didn't even know what bouillabaisse was. But, it's the only thing I could tell the waiter I wanted without sounding stupid, 'cause it was the only thing I knew how to pronounce. I watched as the others tried to decide what they wanted. I didn't know how Gazzy and Iggy could still be hungy. They had eaten tons of food at the carnival. But they eyed the menu hungrily and munched on the bread provided on the table. I reached out to take a piece myself. I felt something nudge my foot. I thought it was Kelsey, so I leaned back to hear what she had to say.

"What?" she asked, confused that I was waiting to hear something. I looked around, and felt it again. Looking across the table, I noticed it was Fang. He was grinning at me slyly. I kicked his foot back, and tucked my feet under my chair, looking away. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him frown. I felt guilty and was about to apologize, when the waiter came to take our order. I told him I'd have the bouillabaisse, and then listened to what the others ordered. After the waiter left, everyone began to chat animatedly. I talked with Kelsey a little bit, and then John came over to talk with us. We were all just laughing and having a good time. The air wasn't so tense and formal when laughter filled it. The only person I purposefully didn't tak to was Fang. To tell you the truth, I was afraid of what he might say. He didn't talk to anyone really, I noticed. Once, he leaned across the table, looking like he wanted to talk, but I quickly started a conversation with John and Nudge, who were joking around on the other side of me. By the time the waiter came back with our food, it was nearly 10:00 p.m. My headache was getting steadily worse, but I think it was just nerves from something. It was kinda hot in the restaurant, too. I tried a spoonfull of the bouillabaisse. It tasted kind of fishy, to me. No...I mean, it really tasted fishy. I was almost finished, when I felt someone nudge my foot again. I immediately glanced across the table at Fang. He leaned across the table and whispered,

"Do you wanna dance? Other people are already over there." He pointed towards the dancefloor. There were, indeed, five or six couples twirling around to some sort of calm twirly music. I wasn't sure if I wanted to or not.

"I...uh...actually have to go to the bathroom." I told him, scooting back. He rolled his eyes.

"No you don't. Come on. Give me one dance, Max." He was almost pleading with me. I sighed and got up, allowing him to lead me over to the dancefloor, where we joined the other spinning couples in some sort of waltz. Fang put his hands on my waist, and I placed mine on his shoulders. My heels made an unfamiliar clicking noise on the wooden floor. We danced in silence for a little while. Then Fang spoke.

"Max...is something the matter? Did I do something that upset you?" he asked, concerned. I shook my head and looked away. "Then, why won't you look at me? You won't talk to me either. And you didn't wanna dance. What's up?"

"Nothing's wrong, Fang. I'm just...tired. It's been a long day." I told him, trying to get off the subject.

"We both know that's not the problem, Max." He sounded like he was scolding a child.

"Well...I don't know what else the problem is, but if you can tell me, I'll be happy to listen." I said, starting to get irritated. He was quiet. My head was throbbing by now.

"I think I did something. And if you don't tell me what it is, I can't fix it. I'm not a mindreader, Max. At least not yet anyway. If something's bugging you, you've got to tell me." He looked worried. I shook my head again. I was starting to fell warm and dizzy. The spinning motion was making me nausueas. I had to stop, or else I'd probably throw up. I stopped suddenly, my hands still on Fang's shoulders. "Max?" he asked. "Are you okay? You look really pale." I bet I did. I felt awful.

"Fang...I think I need to sit down for a minute." I told him weakly.

"Are you okay?" he asked again. I shook my head, tring to make my way towards the nearest chair. He released my waist and walked with me. "What's wrong? Do you feel sick?" I couldn't nod. My vision was double and I was dizzy. Halfway to the chair, I veered left, towards the bathrooms and started running. "Max?!" I heard him exclaim as I rushed away. I pushed past a group of old women and a young busboy. I slammed the bathroom door open, shutting it and locking it in one, swift motion. Then I sprinted for the toilet and vomited. I felt dizzy and weak. I pushed myself up from the toilet and wiped my mouth with the back of my hand. I stumbled towards the sink, and leaned heavily on it. I caught a glance of myself in the mirror. I looked like shit. I was pale and pasty and tired looking. My hands were shaky and clammy, and my neck and forehead were sticky with perspiration. I kept getting cold and hot flashes, and my eyesight kept blurring suddenly and quickly. I felt nauseous again, but didn't run for the toilet. I don't think I could have walked that far if I'd wanted to. My eyesight was tunnel vision, now. I was slowly blacking out. I could feel everything around me: the air, my vision, any noise, get very thick. There was a loud ringing in my ears. And suddenly, everything went hyper-aware. My vision was perfect. I felt like I could see a hundred miles away if I needed to. And I could here extremely well. Even the droning of bugs outside seemed loud to me. Suddenly, a voice was booming in my ear.

"Maximum Ride." It said. It was the voice, but it sounded different, more menacing. It was the same voice, but it rang through my head in an entirely different way.

"Wh--What do you w--want?" I stuttered, shaking.

"Why should you deserve to be happy when everyone else is suffering?" It boomed again. "The world is collapsing, and you just sit there and enjoy a day off."

"Wh--What do you mean?"

"You have the world to save. And, yet, here you sit in a fancy restaurant while everyone suffers. Do you see what you've done to your friends? What you've put them through? You've torn them apart for nothing!" I started to shake. "Maybe you should have a taste of your own medicen!" It screamed in my head. "Maybe you should feel and see all the pain you've brought upon them. And for nothing!" I screamed as a pain of greater intensity then I had ever known ripped through me. I collapsed, hitting my head on a stall door. The sharp pain that came from that was nothing compared to the pain running through me. I was shaking with the intensity of it.

"What are you doing?!" I shreiked. Why was nobody running to help me?! With a panicked intensity, I realized I had locked the door. I'm sure they could break it down, but the walls in here were thick. It could be awhile before anyone found me.

"This is what the world feels everyday, Maximum Ride. And, yet, you do nothing! I hope this teaches you a lesson." An image flashed before my eyes, the noise shattering my eardrums. It was my mother, sobbing. She screamed out, a piercing daggar of sadness ripped into me, as she did so. The voice took the liberty of playing commentary. "Your mother crys in worry about you every night. For nothing! She thinks you're in danger, but you sit and do nothing! You make her feel loss and sadness for nothing! How does that make you feel?"

"Stop...Stop..." I whimpered. Another image pried its way into my head. Little Angel, my baby, was strapped onto a table. Her scream shook through me, rattling into my ears.

"You let them take her. And this is what they did to her. They tortured her because you couldn't save her. Are you feeling tortured now, Max?" I was sobbing now, trying to scream, but my throat was tight with sobs. They racked my body and I twitched violently. A picture of Ella flashed now. She stared out a window solemnly and then burried her face in her hands. In the background, I could hear my mother sobbing. "You're hurting her mother, Max." the voice said. "She hates you for that. She hates you!" I managed a scream. More convulsions racked through me. I shuddered. Iggy was in my head now. He sat alone in a cave, looking angry. The feeling of rage ran through me. "And Iggy. Poor Iggy. You ignore him. You don't pay any attention to him. He thinks you don't care. And you don't, do you? Do you?!"

"I do! I do!" I shrieked.

"No you don't! You would pay attention to him, if you cared. You don't care what happens to him. You left him out of everything!" the voice screamed. I was crying harder now. I screamed again. Then Nudge flashed before my eyes. She was crying in a dark room. "Nudge hates you, don't you know? You never let her have any fun. You took her childhood from her. She's not allowed to enjoy what she wants because you erased everything she had. You took it all away! And she hates you!" Gazzy was there now, sulking in a dark room. "You isolate him too. You treat him like a child, when all he wants is to be able to do something." And then Fang was there. He took a knife and slashed through his arm. The blood poured out. I screamed louder than I had been before, and continued to sob. "This is what you make him do. You've brought him so much pain. Each time you ran away, it ripped him all to pieces. You killed him inside. Your inability to care for anybody is the reason why he's so quiet. Because you never listen to him!" I screamed again and shook in what could only be considered a small seizure. Then buildings were collapsing, and other people were crying. And people were laughing in evil ways. I screamed. It was the only thing I could do. "You've already put your friends through so much. And you still haven't saved anything! Do you really want to put them through this anymore? Don't you think they'd be better off without you? I think so. They think so. They all hate you, Max! All of them! You don't deserve to live. You deserve to die. I want you to do it your self. There's rope in the back of Kelsey's car. You can prabably think of something to do with that, right? I just wanted to show you what you've done to them. So much pain for nothing. Nothing at all. You don't deserve to live. You deserve to die. By your own hands. Don't you agree?" I nodded over and over again very fast. I didn't deserve to live. All the pain I put people through. I was an awful person. Eveyone hated me, so they wouldn't care. They'd be better off without me. I was sorry for them. Very sorry. But, I didn't want to live with the guilt I bore on my shoulders. I had to end it. No one would care. The voice was right. They all hated me. I should've seen it sooner. I was thankful now, that he had told me. "That's a good girl." it said. "Now go find that rope, and figure out something to do with it. Don't say goodbye to anyone. They don't want to here it. They'll know what has happened when you don't come back. All the more reason for them to celebrate. You don't want to ruin their fun, do you?" I shook my head wildly. "Good girl. Good girl...Goodbye, Maximum Ride. This is the end. Goodbye. I'll be the only one to tell you that."

"Good--Goodbye." I stuttered, sobbing. I shuddered violently as the voice faded and my vision was clear once again. I knew what I had to do. I climbed to my feet, ignoring my headache. And I wrenched open the bathroom window, preparing to climb through.

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A/N: Wow...that chapter was kind of graphic. Thanks to all my reviewers who've been with me since the beginning. The next one is the final chapter. Everyone send me good vibes so I do a good job with it! See ya next time! Oh and review!


	12. Your Guardian Angel

A/N: Ahem...Attention ladies and gentlemen. It is with great honor that I present to you the final installment of my story. This is indeed my final chapter. I hope you all enjoyed it. A special thanks to all my reviewers who kept on...well...reviewing. What else would they do? Bake me cookies? Ooh...that sounds nice...Ahem. Yes. This is my first songfic. Yes...this chapter is a songfic. I hope you enjoy. And now...on with the show. *Curtains Open*

**Disclaimer!: **Hello there. I do not, as of now, own Maximum Ride. I also cannot claim that I own this wonderful masterpiece of a song. That honor belongs to Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. It's called Your Guardian Angel. And it rocks! Don't tell me otherwise. I invite you all to look it up on Youtube. Their other songs are excellent as well.

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**Chapter 9: Your Guardian Angel **

**Max's POV **

I hit the concrete with a smack. That was defintely going to leave a mark. I scrambled to my feet, still shaky. The sky overhead was overcast. No stars shone through the thick veil of clouds. Not even the moon was visible tonight. A thick mask of fog covered the ground, making it hard to see. Especially when my eyesight was still a little blurry. I stumbled into the parking lot, nearly twisting my ankle in the process with my high heels. I didn't care. My whole body was numb. I wouldn't have felt it anyway. My limbs were stiff and I felt like I was a puppet on strings. My marrionette was controlling me. I didn't register what I saw. I just knew that I wanted the pain to end. Right now... I tripped my way to Kelsey's car, and pushed open the trunk. She had left it unlocked. A rope was coiled in the corner under some empty bottles. I brushed them away and scooped up the rope. I glanced up at the sky again. Everything was just a sheet of grey. Even my skin was cast in grey and blue, making me look dead. It was colder out now. Almost freezing in nothing but my little black dress. Or maybe I was just having a cold flash again. I couldn't tell the difference. I didn't care. I shivered violently as I looked frantically around. How long would it be until someone came looking for me. Then I realized they never would. They didn't care whether I lived or died. They were all inside, dancing and having fun without me. Just like it was meant to be. Without me... I glanced around, catching sight of a high building in the distance. I stumbled forward. I was running as fast as I could, but no matter how hard I tried, it seemed I was going slower with every step. And the building seemed to be getting farther and farther away. Finally, I reached streets were deserted. It had to be close to 10:30. I slipped off my watch, not having any need for it anymore, and slowly made my way towards the entrance door. I took a deep, shuttering breath and pushed it open. The man sitting behind the desk looked totally taken aback. Obviously, he wasn't used to seeing people in his building this late at night. "Excuse me miss, this is a private office building. Is there something I can--" I pushed past him and sprinted towards the stairs. "Hey you can't go up there!" he shouted. I ignored him and continued up the stairs. I sobbed loudly as I took the steps two at a time. I was still in my high heels, so I was stumbling. I fell about three times, but continued up, not wanting to stop for anything. I saw two or three surprised lingerers stop to stare at me as they made their way down the steps. I ignored all of them. I think one even tried to say something, but I didn't hear it. The ringing in my ears was too loud. It drowned out everything else. Even my racking sobs could not be heard over it. My legs should've been getting tired, but they had felt like jelly even before I had begun to climb the steps. I kept telling myself that each step was one step closer to the top. That I would be there soon. But, that thought scared me a little. It made me afraid of what was waiting for me up there. I managed to cry harder. Finally, I reached the top floor. It was just a long hallway, completely empty except for me. My legs started to shake harder, and I took my time walking towards the door. With shaking hands, I pushed it open and was greeted with a blast of cool night air. It felt tremendous. I sucked in a breath, but my throat felt constricted still. I walked with more confidence towards the edge. I would not be afraid of this. This is what I deserved. I had put everyone through so much suffering. It was my turn to suffer. I didn't deserve this life, when I had ruined others. My ankles banged into the edge. I looked down. It was so very high up. I had never been afraid of heights, but the pretense of what I was about to do made it so much more intimidating. I could see tiny headlights of cars down below me. And I could hear the street sounds, the road rage and the traffic. But, dominating all those sounds, was the screaming that still echoed in my head. The pain of others. And knowing that I had caused it was too much to bear. I took the rope and unwound it. Taking it in my quaking hands, I wrapped it around my torso, binding my wings to my back. I could not move them. They stayed in place right where I tied them. The sensation was weird and unfamiliar. Like losing a limb. I tied the rope off tightly. My wings were perfectly still. There was no way I could move them. So even if instinct wanted to take over, it wouldn't be able to. I looked down from the building again. It was so very far away, the ground. My vision was getting black spots in it. I felt dizzy and cold. If I didn't jump soon, I'd fall anyways. I sucked in a deep breath.

"I'm sorry for all the pain I've put you guys through." I muttered quietly, taking shaky deep breaths. I felt sick while I uttered these words. Sick and disgusted with myself for hurting others. "I do love you guys, and I wish you could see that. I know you don't love me back, but I love you, and I wish I could've been different. I wish that I hadn't been so demanding and that I had let you guys do what you wanted. I feel awful, but there's nothing I can do about it now. So...you'll all be better off without me. I'll do you a favor and do it myself, so you don't have to. I love you guys. I always will. And, Fang, if you're listening...I never got the chance to say this, but...I love you. I always will. Thankyou for always being there for me. Even if you hated doing it. I love you. I love you...I love you." I trailed off and squeezed my eyes shut tight. I sucked in one last breath. The last breath I would ever take, and bent my knees to jump. Before I could, though, I heard a sound I had never in a million years expected to hear. It was the melancholy, light sound of a guitar. The notes were sweet and caring. For a moment, I wondered if I had jumped and not realized it. Then I heard a voice that sounded familiar.

"When... I see... your smile...The tears roll down my face. I can't...replace." I turned. And there was a sight so surprising, I almost fell anyways. Fang was standing on the other side of the building, strumming a guitar. He was the one singing those sweet words. I was probably imagining it. Fang didn't care about me anymore. I had run too many times. Torn him into too many pieces to ever repair. But he continued to sing. "And now that I'm strong I have figured out. How the world turns cold and it breaks through my soul. And I know...I'll find...deep inside me, I can be the one!" Emotion on his face could be seen from this far away. It shocked me. There was no way this could be real. I was hallucinating. He kept walking closer. Bit by bit, he inched forward, still strumming, still singing. Then his voice grew soft. " I will never let you fall. ... I'll stand up with you forever. ... I'll be there for you through it all. ... Even if saving you sends me to heaven." Those words hit something inside me. I could feel the waterworks coming on. My eyes stung with the impact. He continued playing those sweet notes on the guitar. Don't ask me where he got one...I still don't know. "It's okay..." he murmured, still walking. "It's okay... It's okayayayay." And for a moment, it really was okay. Everything was alright. "Seasons are changing! And waves are crashing! And stars are falling all for us! Days grow longer! And nights grow shorter! I can show you I'll be the one!" he was yelling out now. His beautiful voice echoed through me. Tears were starting to leak out. It seemed too perfect to be real, but everything was feelable. His voice, my tears, the air that swirled through my hair. Everything, it seemed, I could reach out and touch. And feel... He was even closer now. A little more than halfaway across the roof. His voice grew soft again. "I will never let you fall. ... I'll stand up with you forever. ... I'll be there for you through it all. ... Even if saving you sends me to heaven." That put me over the edge. Tears were pouring down my face. I was shaking, and my eyesight was blurry, but I kept my eyes on Fang. " 'Cause, you're my...You're my... myyyyyyy. My true love. My whole heart." Did he really mean all this. I hoped he did. "Please don't throw that away. 'Cause I'm...there! For you! Please don't walk away! And...Please tell me you'll stay!" Thunder ripped through the night sky and lightning cracked, but I didn't care. Rain came pouring down, soaking everything on us. My clothes were soaked through, and I was shaking, but I didn't even notice. Fang's hair was soaked and hung in his eyes, but still, I had never seen more emotion on his face. Pain, and sadness and longing. They were all there. They made me cry harder. And as the rain poured down like my tears, he continued to sing. "Yeah! Whoaohoh! Oh! Stay! Whoaoh! Oh!" He looked like he was about to cry. He was so close now. Not ten feet away. "Use me as you will! Pull my strings just for a thrill! And I know I'll be okay! Though my skies are turning grey!" Tears came relentlessly now, and the rain came down in the same fashion. "I will never let you fall! I'll stand up with you forever! I'll be ther for you through it all! Even if saving you sends me to heaven!" he cried out. He was right in front of me now. Right there. I could reach out and touch his face. He stopped playing and just whispered to me. "I will never let you fall... I'll stand up with you forever... I'll be there for you through it all... Even if saving you sends me to heaven..." His sweet voice trailed off. The rain continued to fall, and I continued to cry. Everything was silent. Even the rain seemed quiet tonight. Finally, he spoke. "You jump, I jump..." he whispered in my ear.

"You're qouting Titanic?" I squeaked, miserably. He didn't say anything, just went on staring into my eyes. "That's...so...stupid..." I sobbed. I leaned my head into his shoulder, and without hesitation, he wrapped his arms around me. I cried into his shoulder, shaking.

"I know...I know..." he muttered. "Shh...It's alright." He rocked us gently back and forth, trying to calm me down. Then, he gently picked me up, off the edge, and set me down a little ways away. He continued to hold me while I cried like a child. After a little while, I calmed down, and my sobs quieted. Still...he held me. He took a blade out of his pocket and cutt throught the ropes. My wings were free. It felt wonderful. Then, he put his hand under my chin and tilted it upward so I was looking at him. "I'll always be there for you, Max. You know that, right?" he asked me softly.

"I do now..." I said quietly. He grinned at me. It was the biggest smile I had ever seen on his face. And the next thing I knew, we were kissing. His arms were around me, and my hands were tangled in his mess of black hair. My eyes had fluttered shut and my heart had slowed. I couldn't believe it. I was kissing Fang in the middle of the pouring rain! How romantic is that?! Minutes past, and still his warm lips were connected with mine. Finally, we broke apart for air. We both breathed heavily. I was wide eyed and dizzy and he looked about the same. His arms were still around me.

"What do ya say, Max? Will you be my girl?" he asked tentatively. I blushed, but looked him directly in the eye.

"I always have been, haven't I?" I told him quietly. And then I leaned into kiss him again.

"Well finally!" I heard a voice shout. We broke apart and I saw a camera flash. Standing in the door way was my flock. They were all peering around the corner, huge smiles on their faces. Nudge held a camera in her hand. It had been she who had shouted out to us. I looked back at Fang. He was smiling as well. I grinned. These guys didn't hate me. I could see it on all their faces. That voice I had heard was lying. Lying through it's filthy teeth. I could see that now. They all loved me and nothing was ever going to change that

"How long have you guys been standing there?" I scolded them. They all looked down sheepishly. I laughed. "Oh come here! All of you!" They all rushed forward and we wrapped eachother in a group hug. "I love you guys." I told them. They muttered the same. It was perfect. There was nowhere else I'd rather be than right here, with my flock. This moment was the epitome of perfection.

"*Belch!*" Gazzy burped loudly.

"Gazzy!" We all scolded. Okay...maybe it wasn't perfect. But it was pretty damn close...

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A/N: Aww...that was so fun to right. And that song is seriously amazing in my opinion. Really...I encourage you all to look it up on Youtube. It's by Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, okay. I hope you enjoyed my story. I thoght it turned out pretty well... Thank you guys for taking the time to read it. I really appreciate it. If you have any suggestions or requests for another story, feel free to message me and I'll see what I can do. I love all you guys! Thanks again! **SO LONG AND GOODNIGHT! **


	13. No Sequels! Author's Note

A/N: Alright... listen up, peoples. **I WILL NOT BE WRITING A SEQUEL TO THIS STORY! **I don't feel like it. So stop sending in requests for a sequel! I already told you, I'm not gonna do one. It's over....finished! No Sequel! I appreciate that you all liked my story, but I wanna try another thing. I wanna do something new! Okay...okay. Thanks for listening.


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